England won an incredible match by two runs, the narrowest margin in Ashes history, when Michael Kasprowicz gloved Steve Harmison down the legside to Geraint Jones, to bowl Australia out for 279.

It was the last act of an almost unbearably tense morning which saw English hopes seemingly ebbing steadily away.

Remarkably, after starting the day needing to make 107 runs to win, Australia added 104 runs for the last two wickets as first Shane Warne (42) put on 45 with Brett Lee (43*), then Kasprowicz played his role in a nail-biting 10th wicket partnership of 59 in 77 balls.

After Warne's dismissal, the score had mounted steadily and Vaughan switched Harmison and Andrew Flintoff to different ends. Kasprowicz chipped two just wide of square leg and then a wild Harmison delivery went for four byes.

After 75 minutes play Australia needed only 20 to win and Flintoff, steaming in from the City End, struck Lee a painful blow on his top hand that resulted in a long delay.

Harmison was unlucky in his next over as Lee inside-edged a four over his stumps, then played and missed, then edged one just short of Andrew Strauss at gully, then missed again. But by the end of the over Australia needed only 15 to win.

In Flintoff's next over, Kasprowicz, on 18, chipped to third man and Simon Jones dropped him low to the ground. The next ball, a no ball, went for four byes, leaving Australia needing only nine runs to win.

When Harmison then came in to bowl Australia needed only six runs to win. A Lee single reduced that to five, before Kasprowicz blocked the rest of the over.

Flintoff then bowled an over which was very fast and very short and Lee left most of the balls before taking a leg-bye.

It left him facing Harmison with only a boundary needed to win the Test match. He drove the first ball for a single, leaving Kasprowicz on strike, with three to win. A Harmison bouncer was gloved down the legside to end a truly amazing game of cricket.

Australia had put on 45 runs in 40 nerve-wracking minutes for England, before Warne (42) trod on his own stumps.

It was a magnificent effort by the ultra-competitive Warne, who was probably the only man at Edgbaston who still believed Australia could win.

Australia had begun the morning on 175-8, knowing their only sniff of victory was to go after the bowlers, which they did very effectively as Harmison's opening spell of 3.2 overs went for 27 runs.

Warne drove him square for four and managed to edge a vicious steepling bouncer over the stumps, as well as cutting Flintoff stylishly for a boundary. Lee was equally aggressive, driving Harmison through midwicket to the boundary and down the ground for four.

The pair put on 45 runs in only 51 balls and got Australia to within 62 runs of an incredibly unlikely Test win.

Then Warne, who had been walking across his stumps Flintoff-style in readiness to slog, involuntarily trod on his stumps with a backward step and Flintoff's inswinger veered down the legside. Australia were 220-9 and England's supporters breathed a sigh of relief.

Ashley Giles put the brakes on with some tight bowling, and could have had Lee a couple of times when the ball popped up in the air, but fell into empty space. Meanwhile Flintoff continued to bowl with real aggression, searching for a well-deserved five-for to go with his two fifties in the game. Lee was struck on the elbow and there was a delay of several minutes, then Lee thick-edged him for four over the slips.

Kasprowicz tried the Warne tactic of walking across his stumps and chipped Flintoff for four at mid wicket. Then Lee advanced down the pitch to smack Giles through mid wicket for four, and Kasprowicz drove him over mid off for another four. And edged four in the same over took Australia to 249-9 after an hour's play.

7 Aug, 2005