2nd Test : Day Five - History made as England triumph

There is a great man who makes every man feel small. But the real great man is the man who makes every man feel great.
- G. K. Chesterton

England 425 & 311-6 dec beat Australia 215 & 406

I am still in shock. We have beaten the Aussies at Lord's for the first time in 75 years. And, in the end, our victory came with some ease. Who do we have to thank for such unexpected delights? Andrew Flintoff. Of course.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Fred carried the team on his shoulders into the promised land of victory at The Home of Cricket yesterday. The fairytale I forecast came to fruition in sumptuous style. In his final test match at HQ, the all-rounder produced one of his finest displays of bowling in an England jersey with his first five-for at Lord's to secure the history making win. As play started, all eyes were on Friedrich; he seemed to metamorphose before the crowd as if he had been drinking from a curious bottle in Alice's Wonderland - "She drinks of the bottle and she starts getting bigger and bigger and bigger until she doesn’t fit in the house anymore". Fred filled the ground and the stage was set.

MORNING SESSION : HOODOO LIFTED BY THE HAND OF FRED

On the eve of the fifth day, the atmosphere at Lord's was one of eerie tension; the silence was deafening and relentless as people scuttled to their seats in grim anticipation. When Clive Radley rung the bell to signal that were just five minutes left before the start of play, the hush was lifted. Brocko led his team onto the field and the crowd clapped as loudly as cricketing etiquette permits. Jimmy opened the bowling with a maiden from the Nursery End and then the moment came. Freddie came onto bowl from the Pavilion End and begun as potently as we had ever seen him bowl. His knee injury seemed a mirage as he struck with his fourth ball of the over as Gilchrist II edged to Colly at slip. Haddin was finally removed; the impenetrable partnership had been broken. We were into their tail and we were on the verge of victory, at last. With a single delivery, our Flintstone dispelled all doubt in the crowd. He stood erect, arms by his sides, as his team-mates engulfed him. The message was clear - I am all you need. I am the Man. I am proof that a win is attainable.

The nation's favourite Flintstone secured the history making win almost single handedly but plaudits must also go to Dr Comfort. I was calling for Marcel to be brought onto bowl for over half an hour before the Captain threw him the ball just before noon. In his opening over, our Swann bowled the Pup, the Aussies' last batsman standing, with his second ball of the day and roared away in celebration. The tail was truly exposed now. Shortly after play resumed, Friedrich completely deceived the Haur with an almost unplayble delivery and the non-spinning spinner was dismissed for a single run. Fred raised his arms in triumph as the crowd let loose in relief. Glory was inevitable now.

We watched in awe as The Flintstone continued to hurl himself at the beleaguered Aussies. My companions in the crowd were astonished that The Big Man was continuing his spell beyond the now customary seven overs but, though his body was clearly aching now, he persevered in search for a final wicket, a fifth wicket to silence the critics who claim he hasn't claimed enough five wicket hauls in his career and to write his name on the Honours Board as a bowler on his final attempt. "Get Siddle on strike," I muttered to The Eternal Optimist. The Vicious one is a tryer but no master with the willow. After a no ball, Fred's eighth and, seemingly final over at HQ, was extended by another ball. He charged in and castled the befuddled batsmen. Lord's was alight; all proper conduct forgotten as we erupted to salute our hero. Flintoff got down one one knee, genuflecting to his flock. He was on the honours board as a bowler at last. His team-mates surged upon him once more. Cricket may be seen in some circles as a team game but it is one which is decided by individual brilliance. Fred doffed his sun-hat to the crowd as he retreated into the field. The noise was ceaseless.

We were drunk on the fairytale of Flintoff's flamboyant farewell. We awaited the final wicket in excited expectation now. Johnson reached his 50 but nobody seemed to notice. Marcel returned to the attack and bowled MJ for 63. Australia were all out for 406. We had completed the demolition before lunch. What a morning! What a performance from Freddie! What a turn-around from Cardiff! Having been on the brink of defeat at Swalec, we were now one nil up in the series. The post-match ceremony was keenly observed by the 25,000 capacity crowd as the Flintstone duly picked up his man of the match award and the captains deconstructed the narrative of the past five days. Strauss' curious decision not to enforce the follow on can now be consigned to history. The Urn is now, whisper it, within reach.

Quote of the Day: The Novice - "I just switched on to see us win but it's all over. What happened?". Having been informed that we were on the verge of triumph and told to switch on the TV, our rookie was not quick enough to witness our heroics. That will teach her for labelling cricket a slow game.

Ornithological Count: Freddie in flight more than satiated our appetite for winged wonders.

Barminess Barometer: 200% - Who could ever have imagined a Lord's crowd behaving like they did yesterday? It most uncouth. Standing up and jumping with unfettered joy was daring enough but the cheering that accompanied Flintoff's mastery was truly radical. Wild. Unprecedented. Brilliant.

I'd like to pay tribute to Marcel who excelled yesterday alongside our talisman. His dismissal of the Hussler on Sunday has been called into question - replays suggest that the batsman didn't hit the ball - but his second innings figures of 4 for 87 were terrific and suggest that his Cardiff woes were an aberration. Our bowling attack looks in its best shape for some time. The seamers compliment each other well and in our Swann we have a spinner with menace from both ball and bat. Our batting line-up remains something of a concern, however. Bopara at No. 3 has been unable to settle which has exposed our middle order batsman too early.

We have taken the lead in a home Ashes series but questions remain. First and foremost, will the titans Freddie and KP be fit for the next test? Will Ravinder deliver? Have we have curbed our appetite for self destruction?

But, for now, let's rejoice in our success and give thanks to His Fredness. A Lion. A Larrikin. A Legend.