'I was in India recently, and a guy came up to me, and he said, 'Pleased to meet you. Thank you for saving Test cricket'.'
Few sporting contests capture the imagination of fans quite like the Ashes. Whether played under the blazing Australian sun or the cloudy English skies, the series promises drama, intensity, and moments that define cricketing greatness.
The Ashes not only ignite emotions in the two participating nations but also draw the attention of cricket lovers across the globe.
Former Australian pacer Michael Kasprowicz shared a humorous anecdote from the Ashes 2005, regarded as one of the greatest Test series of all time.
On September 12, 2005, England ended an 18-year drought, regaining the Urn for the first time since 1987.
Although Australia won the series opener at Lord's, England bounced at Edgbaston with one of the most thrilling victories in Ashes history, winning by just two runs, and further nail-biting finishes followed at Old Trafford, Trent Bridge and The Oval.
At Edgbaston, Australia, chasing 282, needed just three runs to go 2-0 up when last man Kasprowicz, who was batting on 20 off 31 balls, was caught by wicketkeeper Geraint Jones off Steve Harmison, leaving Brett Lee stranded at 43 off 75 balls at the other end.
The match reignited the hopes of the English fans, who had endured the pain of eight straight Ashes defeats.
Moreover, it was a defining moment for English cricket as the win heralded a new era, with the emergence of players like Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen as the new faces of the Three Lions.
Kasprowicz recalled that while in India recently, a cricket fan thanked him for "saving Test cricket" with that dismissal.
Speaking on SEN Sportsday, Kasprowicz said, "I was in India recently, and a guy came up to me, and he said, 'Pleased to meet you. Thank you for saving Test cricket'."
"I said, 'You are welcome, but what do you mean, mate?'. He said, 'Well, if you and Brett Lee scored those runs, you would have been 2-0 up in the series and Australia would have gone and won the series and Test cricket would have been dead."
"So, I actually, I joked with him.... You have got to give back to the game what the game gives you."
The former pacer highlighted how all the England players got MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire) honors for their series win, and junior cricket participation shot up in both nations, but he was dropped from the side soon after.
"All the England players all got MBEs, I think the junior participation numbers went up by 20 or 30 percent in both countries. DVDs called The Greatest Test was sold, and do you know what happened to me? I got dropped. There you go (laughs)."
Kasprowicz, who retired from all forms of cricket in 2008, still believes he was not out since "his right hand was actually off the bat".
"Binga (Brett Lee) cracked one through the covers and I think on TV I heard people say they thought that was it, but I went straight to Kevin Pietersen on the boundary, and it brought me on strike.
"Then two balls later and I copped a short ball from Harmison, I didn't duck it and sort of played it standing up, and it flicked my right hand now. My right hand was actually off the bat at the time, so it should not have been out.
"But I would have been really disappointed if I was a bowler and he gave that not out, so, it was a tough decision," he added.
The latest edition of the Ashes will start in Perth on November 21, with Steve Smith leading the hosts in the opening game due to the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins due to a back injury. England would be aiming to go for their first Ashes series win in Australia since 2011.
© 2025