England at Edgbaston: Test Match specials

England take on Pakistan at Edgbaston in September, and do so with a rich history of producing grandstand Test matches at The People’s Home of Cricket.

2026-07-26T19:30+01:00

There have been a whole host of nail-biting victories and dominant triumphs in Birmingham over the years, with the return of Pakistan to the stadium for the first time in ten years set to conclude the Final Chapter of the 2026 summer of cricket. Tickets are selling fast. Already purchased tickets for the Pakistan test? You have access to priority tickets for next year’s Ashes fixtures taking place at Edgbaston.

Ahead of the fixture that takes place from Wednesday 9 September, we’re looking back over some of the finest England performances at Edgbaston, starting with arguably the greatest Test of all time and the visit of Australia in 2005…

After Australia had won the first Test of the highly anticipated 2005 Ashes at Lord’s by a dominant 259 runs, England needed to respond at Edgbaston.

They were helped by unfortunate events prior to the first ball being bowled, with Glenn McGrath injured in a freak accident in the warm-up before Ricky Ponting chose to field first. It was a decision England would punish immediately.

Marcus Trescothick (90) and Andrew Strauss (48) put on 112 runs for the first wicket, before Kevin Pietersen (71) and Andrew Flintoff (68) powered England to 407 on the opening day.

The following day, England would secure a 99-run first-innings lead, before Flintoff saved England with a vital 73 in the second innings as Australia were set 282 for victory.

Flintoff then returned to deliver one of the defining spells of the series with the ball and arguably one of the greatest overs in Test cricket, removing Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting in the same over to swing the match back towards England.

Those two wickets helped to see Australia stumble to 175 for eight overnight, however Brett Lee and Shane Warne weren’t about to give up without a fight, dragging their team back into the contest.

Warne's battling 42 ended in bizarre fashion when he trod on his stumps, but Lee and Michael Kasprowicz somehow kept the tourists in it, edging their side to within three runs of victory.

Then came the moment every England supporter remembers.

Steve Harmison banged in one final short ball. Kasprowicz gloved it down the leg side and Geraint Jones, diving low, somehow held on. Billy Bowden raised his finger and Edgbaston erupted.