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Flintoff Lord's it over Aussies
ANDREW Flintoff pushed his body to the limit to deliver one of the finest spells of his career and end England's 75-year wait to taste success over Australia at Lord's.
The 31-year-old all-rounder shrugged off concerns about his troubled right knee to break Australia's resistance and secure a 115-run second Test triumph – England's first Ashes success at Lord's since 1934.
His aggression and hostility during an unbroken 10-over spell from the Pavilion End earned Flintoff figures of 5-92 and ended Australia's hopes of a world record chase of their 522 target in front of a capacity crowd on the final day.
This was the Flintoff of four years previously, the one who charged in to claim five wickets at the Oval and ensure England earned the draw to claim the Ashes win in 2005.
Every one of his overs was greeted by the hush of anticipation before they roared him on as he began his run down the slope, the crowd sensing Flintoff's determination to deliver a special performance in his final Lord's Test.
Resuming the final day on 313-5 and needing a further 209 runs for one of the great victories in Test history, Australia began with hopes renewed after an unbroken 185-run partnership between Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin the previous evening.
Haddin, 80, failed to add a run before edging Flintoff low to Paul Collingwood at second slip and England had the early breakthrough they craved.
Clarke then added 43 with Johnson and had progressed to 136 when Graeme Swann's second delivery beat him with the drift and hit off-stump.
Victory was now in sight. The hostile Flintoff was determined to finish it off and knocked back Nathan Hauritz's off-stump.
When he smashed into Peter Siddle's middle stump four overs later it was only the third five-wicket haul of a 76-Test career, a feat he celebrated by dropping to one knee to milk the crowd's applause in his final Lord's Test. Swann completed the win 20 minutes before lunch when bowling Johnson for 63 with the total 406.
Despite feeling discomfort during the last five days, Flintoff says he is determined to finish the series.
"I've three Tests to go and I will do anything to get out onto that field and finish it," he said. "The encouraging thing from my point of view is that I've bowled all my overs."
Said skipper Andrew Strauss: "I know that if you had to list the top three bowlers in world cricket that batsmen don't want to face, Fred's going to be on that list and probably at the top of it."
"No one enjoys facing him, that hostility he bowls with. Sometimes he doesn't get those five-fors, but no one enjoys those spells he bowls.
"After he took that first wicket he said 'by the way, I'll keep bowling until all the wickets are gone' – I thought that sounds like a good plan to me and so it proved."
The Third Test is at Edgbaston a week on Thursday.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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