After what was shaping up to be a breezy English win it is safe to say that under the sea of white hats in the stands sweat from sheer panic now drips from the foreheads of each and every wearer. Chasing the win with great momentum the Australian batsmen are starting to cause a stir in the crowd; The cat really has been thrown amongst the pigeons on this blistering final day.

With lunch taking precedence at Trent Bridge at this moment in time the topic of Australia’s startlingly impressive run rate will definitely be on the lips of the crowd. Having almost made more runs in their second innings partnership then they did in their first at a much more confident and casual rate, Shane Watson and Chris Rogers seem to be playing the game with the passion that the Australian fans and players will undoubtedly be wanting to see. With 28 runs off 42 balls it is starting to look like a more promising approach by the Aussies and after their first Innings victory it will come as no surprise to see their confidence rising as each ball is struck to the boundary with a sense on nonchalance.

With England all out in their second innings for 375, putting Australia in the position of having to chase 311 runs for the win. It seems inevitable that the question is on everyone’s mind as to whether the travelling team can turn up any more surprises; especially in the shape of 19-year-old Ashton Agar.

311 seems like a long slog and a hard score to make for this seemingly lacklustre Australia yet as we witnessed in the first innings the Aussies weren’t too short of surprises. Reaching a record breaking debut score for a number 11 at the tender age of 19 Agar managed to surpass all expectation and came to the forefront of international cricket in a bit of rush, in such a manner that his success may influence his team to step up their game.

It remains to be seen as to whether Australia can do the impossible and scrape a win and as to whether Agar can remain unfazed by the pressure placed on his shoulders to perform to expectation for his country.

3) Headingly 1981 – A lost captaincy invigorates a leaders performance:

After the struggling Ian Botham was rightfully replaced as captain by recalled 39-year-old Mike Brearley the seemingly broken man almost single-handedly turned the English teams misfortunes on its head. With England sitting 227 behind the Aussies the deflated Botham came to the crease and – partnered with Graham Dilley, Chris Old and finally Bob Willis – managed to play some wonderful strokes putting Australia in the position of having to chase 180 runs for the win; a score which seemed to shock all after the prior poor performance of the home side.

Australia began positively reaching 56 for one before Willis was brought in to bowl at which point, behaving like a man possessed, the visiting team was forced into a state of disarray. After flattening Ray Bright’s middle stump Bob Willis had taken an astounding 8 for 43 making England only the second team in history to win a Test after following on. Who would have thought it?

4) The Oval 1953 – 20 years of hurt is enough:

After four draws it was the turf of the Oval which provided England with a much awaited and anticipated return of the longed for Ashes in 1953. Continue reading →

With the current Test providing a surprising array of cricket coupled with being the author of cricketing history it seems like a nonsensical move not to look back at the 5 most memorable Tests in the history of this age old competition.

5) Sophia Gardens 2009: A draw tasting as sweet as a win

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During a Test which is proving difficult to find anyone prepared to surpass the century mark it seems necessary to make a noise about those who have hit big and played hard at the Trent Bridge crease. Here we reveal the top 5 biggest scoring players over the past 100 years:

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