Top 5 Ashes performers of all-time

Andrew Flintoff

Andrew Flintoff

Widely regarded as England’s finest all-rounder after Ian Botham, the burly Andrew Flintoff starred with both bat and ball in the 2005 Ashes.

402 runs and 24 wickets in a 5-match series showed exactly how much of an impact Flintoff had on the England team. His first over in Ashes cricket was a wicket-maiden as he removed the entrenched Justin Langer for 0.

The Edgbaston game witnessed a spectacular effort from the blonde-haired all-rounder, as he scored half-centuries in both innings and took seven wickets in the match.

However, the most poignant image of the game was his consoling of the despondent Australian pacer Brett Lee after England eked out a narrow 2-run win. Flintoff also scored a century in the series to carve his names in the history books.