Cricket: Nervy England home in a thriller

England's Steve Harmison is the centre of celebrations as he claims the final wicket to tie the series. Picture/ Reuters

BIRMINGHAM - Close enough wasn't quite good enough for Australia as England won a thrilling second cricket test at Edgbaston by two runs to level the Ashes series 1-1.

In choking tension, Australia's last pair Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz put on 59 for the final wicket to nearly steal what would have been one of the greatest test comeback victories.

When Kasprowicz was caught behind by a diving Geraint Jones off a Steve Harmison short ball, it sent England's players into ecstasy and an ebullient Edgbaston crowd into delirium.

More importantly, it kept alive England's dream of winning the Ashes for the first time since 1986-87.

Australia have just three days to regroup for the third test, at Old Trafford, which starts Thursday.

England finally made the crucial breakthrough and won the second-closest test match in history, behind only the West Indies' one-run win over Australia in 1991-92.

Jones had earlier had a disastrous morning, as he conceded 13 byes before he got down low enough to take the winning catch.

Australia were all out for 279, having started day four needing an improbable 107 runs to win with just two wickets left.

England were unbackable favourites to win at the start of the day, but Australian tailenders Shane Warne, Lee and Kasprowicz combined to forge partnerships of 45 for the ninth wicket and 59 for the last wicket that nearly won the match from nowhere.

Lee finished on 43 not out.

Warne was out in remarkable circumstances, when he trod on his stumps and was out hit wicket for 42.

Warne's error looked to have been the decisive wicket, and was a bittersweet moment for the man who took match figures of 10 for 162. But Lee and Kasprowicz denied England for another hour and as chips cleared fielders and edges fell short, the collar tightened on the home side.

Lee batted on despite copping a painful blow to the hand from Andrew Flintoff with 20 runs needed, and Kasprowicz gained a life when Simon Jones missed a tough chance at third man with 15 runs needed.

Flintoff, who turned the match on its head on day three, was a worthy man of the match after smashing 68 and 73 and taking three for 52 and four for 79. Flintoff claimed the vital wicket today, albeit a fortunate one, as Warne missed a delivery down leg side but put his right foot onto off stump and dislodged both bails as he wandered across the crease.

Australia must also prepare to strike back without pace ace Glenn McGrath, who is no closer to learning the full extent of damage to his injured right ankle. He is targeting a return in the fourth test at Trent Bridge starting on August 25 but could miss the rest of the tour.

Australia can take heart from Warne's bowling in this match, in which he returned match figures of 10 for 162 and maintained his stranglehold over Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell, among others.

Warne sits on 599 test wickets and, at Old Trafford, can become the first man to take a 600th. "It's been an epic game and full credit to the way Australia came out today," England captain Michael Vaughan. "But the way my boys came out and showed some character at the end, most people thought it was gone."

Australia captain Ricky Ponting said: "It says a lot about the character of our team that we fought back the way we did. Unfortunately we just weren't quite good enough.

"Full credit to England, they played very well through this test match.

"On that wicket, we had to score more than 300 in our first innings and that's probably been the difference in the game."

SECOND TEST
(Edgbaston, Birmingham)

Stumps, third day. -

ENGLAND

First innings 407
Second innings

M. Trescothick c Gilchrist b Lee 21
A. Strauss b Warne 6
M. Hoggard c Hayden b Lee 1
M. Vaughan b Lee 1
I. Bell c Gilchrist b Warne 21
K. Pietersen c Gilchrist b Warne 20
A. Flintoff b Warne 73
G. Jones c Ponting b Lee 9
A. Giles c Hayden b Warne 8
S. Harmison c Ponting b Warne 0
S. Jones not out 12Extras (1lb, 9nb) 10
--Total (52.1 overs) 182

Bowling: Lee 18-1-82-4 (5nb), Gillespie 8-0-24-0 (1nb), Kasprowicz 3-0-29-0, Warne 23.1-7-46-6.

Fall: 1/25, 2/27, 3/29, 4/31, 5/72, 6/75, 7/101, 8/131, 9/131.

AUSTRALIA

First innings

J. Langer lbw b Jones 82
M. Hayden c Strauss b Hoggard 0
R. Ponting c Vaughan b Giles 61
D. Martyn run out 20
M. Clarke c G. Jones b Giles 40
S. Katich c G. Jones b Flintoff 4
A. Gilchrist not out 49
S. Warne b Giles 8
B. Lee c Flintoff b S. Jones 6
J. Gillespie lbw b Flintoff 7
M. Kasprowicz lbw b Flintoff 0
Extras (12b, 8lb, 1w, 10nb) 31
--Total (76 overs) 308
Fall: 1/0, 2/88, 3/118, 4/194, 5/208, 6/262, 7/273, 8/282, 9/308.

Bowling: Harmison 11-1-48-0 (2nb), Hoggard 8-0-41-1 (4nb,) S, Jones 16-2-69-2 (1w, 1nb), Flintoff 15-1-52-3 (3nb), Giles 26-2-78-3.

J. Langer b Flintoff 28
M. Hayden c Trescothick b S Jones 31
R. Ponting c G Jones b Flintoff 0

D. Martyn c Bell b Hoggard 28
M. Clarke b Harmison 30
S. Katich c Trescothick b Giles 16
A. Gilchrist c Flintoff b Giles 1
J. Gillespie lbw b Flintoff 0
S Warne hit wicket b Flintoff 42
B. Lee not out 43
M. Kasprowicz c G Jones b Harmison 20
Extras (13b, 8lb, 18nb, 1w) 40
--Total (64.3 overs) 279
Fall: 47, 48, 82, 107, 134, 136, 137, 175, 220, 279.

Bowling: S. Harmison 17.3-3-62-2 (5nb, 1w), M. Hoggard 5-0-26-1, A. Giles 15-3-68-2, A. Flintoff 22-3-79-4 (13nb), S. Jones 5-1-23-1.

Result: England won by two runs, five-match series level 1-1.

- AAP