Former England pacer Steve Harmison feels that few of the English Cricketers were selfish up until the 2005 Ashes series playing from themselves rather than the team. The England team came into the Ashes 2005 after following a string of poor performances in the high-stakes series over the years. England won the series after 18 long years making into a memorable one for the players and fans in the home country.
The 2005 Ashes series is considered to be one of the greatest in history, as it was a closely contested one. England turned the tables in the second Test at Edgbaston, winning the second match by two runs after losing the first test by 239 runs. The hosts claimed the fourth Test narrowly by three wickets, with the other two going for a draw to clinch the series 2-1.
Speaking to the SEN road, England pacer Steve Harmison believes that legendary England skipper Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton, and Graham Thorpe could not make an impact for the team in previous ashes and claims that they were a lot of selfish cricketers in the side before 2005
“The difference between that and 2003, 2001 and 1999, 1997, was in 2005 we were a team. We’d grown up as a team, we played as a team and we behaved off the field like a team. In 1997, 2001, 2003/04, you had a lot of selfish characters playing for England,” Steve Harmison said.
Harmison feels that the England team had a lot of individual players up until the 2005 Ashes series, as most of the English Players didn’t play as the team in the previous years and reckoned that they played as the team in 2005 to win over the formidable Australian team
“Some great cricketers, don’t get me wrong… but when you look at – and I’ve got no problem saying this – the likes of Nasser, Athers, Thorpey (Graham Thorpe), Corkey (Dominic Cork), Darren Gough, Andy Caddock, there was a group of individuals playing altogether as a team where you look at 2005, we were a team,” he added.
Steve Harmison has been one of England’s best bowlers in the 2005 Ashes series, he finished it with 17 wickets and was a vital cog in their bowling line-up. Although he only had one five-wicket haul in the series, he troubled pace the Australian batter throughout the series.
England Team Was Set Up Ready To Plat, Ready To Rock – Jason Gillespie On 2005 Ashes
Former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie revealed that he noticed the big difference in the English side in the Ashes 2005 and the right-arm pacer said that the England team played with more displacing in the series and added that the England team was pumped to take on the Australian team.
“I noticed a big difference in the England side in the ’05 Ashes… we’d never felt that as an Australian side before. England would normally go out in dribs or drabs going onto the field,” he said.
“But this time, it was noticeable that as soon as the umpires walked out there, Michael Vaughan was straight out there, everyone was straight out there, quick chat and then they would run to their fielding positions, the bowler would run, and hand his cap to the umpire and before our batters were halfway onto the ground, the whole England team was set up ready to play, ready to rock,” Jason Gillespie said.
The England team was not at its usual best when they toured Australia where England was hammered by Australia by 4-0 and will to do well in their home soil this time. The most exciting Ashes this year is scheduled to begin on June 16, with the first Test to be played at Birmingham.