How typical of this Ashes series, that England
should owe its ultimate resistance to a man who dropped six catches during the
series and was himself dropped three times on his way to a thunderous,
match saving 158.

South African-born Kevin Pietersen encapsulated the
incredible changes of fortune in this series, his defiant standing
holding out a rampaging attack after the Australians took four wickets
before lunch and went the break with England only 133 runs ahead and 70
overs still to be
bowled.

When Pietersen came to the wicket he barely survived an absolute brute of a ball reared up at him and almost gave McGrath a
hat trick. Then he offered Hayden a difficult chance – which had deflected off
Gilchrist’s glove – without a run to his name. Adding insult to injury
his close chum Warne dropped a sitter off
him when he was only 15, and thereafter Pietersen needed no further prompting
that
this was his day as he smashed a record busting seven sixes to beat
Ian Botham’s Ashes record and save England’s bacon

It’s simplistic to say
he was ultimately the difference between the two teams on this historic last
day, but Pietersen was the rock upon which our hopes were finally dashed as he made the
game safe with a
century partnership (109) with Ashley Giles.

Warne was again
magnificent in his final Test in England, sending down 32 consecutive
overs at the Vauxhall End. He walked off to the
raptures of the crowd with an record career Ashes haul of 172 wickets.
To see him come so close, trying with every fibre of
his being to will his team on to the unlikeliest victory, even had some
commentators uttering the unthinkable and questioning whether he might
in
fact, in his own way, be as a great as Bradman

In the end no one can begrudge
England its victory and mass public celebration. This
series loss is sure to trigger an overhaul in players and officials as Australia looks to
a new generation – though surely Warne will go on and on for a good while yet.