2005 Ashes Cricket Book

Relive “The Greatest Series" with our Commemorative 2005 Ashes Book

The 2005 Ashes Series featured some of the most exciting Test matches ever played. After a summer of unbelievable cricket, England reclaimed the Ashes with a 2-1 win and ended Australia’s sixteen year domination of the competition.

Our Personalised 2005 Ashes Books are fantastic gifts for cricket fans and for anybody who was captivated by the Ashes fever of 2005. The presents feature a selection of newspaper reports that were published during the famous summer, written by journalists who were there at the time. This reproduced coverage will take you through all of the twists and turns in the series, from the exciting build-up to the victorious celebrations.

The 2005 Ashes Books are smartly presented, making them a wonderful piece of sports memorabilia. Below you will find a brief history of the tournament and more information about the contents of our Personalised Ashes Books. We also suggest other personalised sport book presents and alternative cricket gifts.

Brief History of the Ashes

The England versus Australia Test Series became known as the Ashes when Australia beat England at The Oval in 1882. The Sunday Times declared it was the death of English cricket and said “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia." When the England cricket team travelled to Australia the following year, the press wrote that the team was on a “quest to regain the Ashes". After winning the Test series, England captain Ivo Bligh was given a small terracotta urn as a present by future wife Florence Morphy. It contained the ashes of a cricket bail. The Ashes Urn was given to the MCC Museum at Lords when Bligh died, where it has since remained. It is now considered the prize for the Ashes Test series, but is actually still a personal family gift, rather than an official trophy.

The 2005 Ashes Test Series had created a special buzz of excitement, as Australia and England were then the top two cricket teams in the world. England had been on a phenomenal run or fourteen wins and four draws in their previous eighteen Test matches. Australia, on the other hand, had long been dominating cricket with renowned players such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Matthew Hayden. What followed was a classic Ashes series characterised by an incredible intensity on the field, a great spirit in the dressing rooms and a run of agonisingly close matches.

Highlights of the 2005 Ashes Gifts

The Personalised 2005 Ashes Books begin with an entertaining countdown to the series and action from the first Test at Lords. England set the tone of the 2005 Ashes with a session of bowling which Australian players Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting would later describe as the most intense they have ever faced. Harmison struck three opposition players with bouncers, splitting the cheek of the opposing captain. Australia eventually claimed a comfortable win and the newspapers called England “a bunch of drips". However, the intensity from the determined England side was set to continue.

The Ashes Book moves on to the second Test at Edgbaston, which has since been described as the single greatest Test match of all time. After dominating much of the game, England struggled to bowl Australia out on the final day. They finally won the Test match by just two runs – one of the closest margins of victory in Ashes history. Newspaper articles hailed Andrew Flintoff with headlines such as “Mr Infredible." The coverage of the Edgbaston Test also features the iconic picture of the Lancashire bowler delaying his celebrations to console Australian tail-ender, Brett Lee.

Two equally thrilling finishes followed as the 2005 Ashes Series continued. The Australians celebrated an unlikely draw in the Old Trafford Test and England claimed their second win at Trent Bridge. In addition to fascinating reports on these thrilling Test matches, the 2005 Ashes Book also focuses on the build up to Shane Warne’s record breaking 600th wicket - which he claimed at Old Trafford. The newspaper coverage also begins to look forward to a famous series win, including headlines such as “Wowzat!" and “The Ashes are Coming Home!"

Kevin Pietersen was untried in the international Test arena before the 2005 Ashes Series, but he scored 158 in the closing Oval Test. This stunning knock would clinch the 2005 Ashes for the home side. Our special Ashes gifts include extensive coverage of the winning match and a reflective eight-page pull-out on the complete 2005 Ashes Test Series.

Alternative Cricket Gifts

GoneDigging offers many other gifts for cricket enthusiasts, including our popular Personalised International Cricket Book. This great piece of sports memorabilia provides a fascinating newspaper history of cricket, featuring great matches and famous moments from the past one hundred years. Other cricket presents include our Bespoke Cricket Bat and Spoof Cricket Newspaper Headline gifts.

Other Sports Gift Books

The Personalised 2005 Ashes Book is just one of our terrific sports book gifts. You can alternatively enjoy editions dedicated to sports such as Golf, Rugby and Formula One. We also have an extensive range of Personalised Football Club Books, featuring match reports on some of the biggest games in the history of over fifty teams. Our unique Personalised Books make great presents for any sports fan.