Over the years, many a Test has been labelled great; many for the fact that the scores were close near the finish, or for sheer individual brilliance. The second Ashes Test of 2005 will join the ranks of these great Tests well-qualified on a number of counts: circumstance, aggression, ebb and flow, courage and a twist.

To that end, it was slightly disappointing that the final wicket was not taken by the man who made the match: Andrew Flintoff. Having blasted five sixes on his way to a 62-ball 68 on the first day, Flintoff played one of the great matches. This, after an innocuous push to cover point from the another hero, Shane Warne, which left him wondering whether he had dislocated his left shoulder.

All-rounders aren't all that uncommon in cricket; science can show that some sportsmen are naturally gifted at a number of crafts. To perform with both bat and ball simultaneously - on cricket's biggest stage, no less - requires something special. That special performance was produced by Flintoff.

He bowled with incredible courage this morning, pausing only to change ends, and had the Australian tail on the hop. Some commentators spoke ill of his short-pitched bowling to tail-enders, but the Ashes is cricket's answer to war. When a bruised Warne, who had batted heroically and without his typical risk, trod on his stumps, Flintoff had won a battle for England.

With 62 still required - and even at this point many were surprised that Australia had come this close - Lee and Michael Kasprowicz did not set about whittling down the total. Rather, they took to Ashley Giles, lofting him to mid-off and mid-on, and courtesy of some wayward leg-side bowling and sub-par keeping were treated to a handful of sundries in the form of boundaries.

Australia, like the two animals on the crest of the helmet, did not take a backward step all morning, and even as the impossible began to seem improbable, Lee and Kasprowicz showed no signs of retreating into their shells.

Flintoff and Harmison - England's two big guns - repeatedly hit both batsmen on the body. Lee needed treatment a couple of times, but there was no way he would retire hurt. For all the lampooning and show-pony criticism he has received in the press, his performance over the last two days of the Test match was nothing short of heroic. Flintoff acknowledged this after the match, and although their on-field relationship has been strained at the best of times, Lee collapsed of complete exhaustion and disappointment onto Flintoff's comforting arm afterwards.

As runs ticked by, often in the form of glides to third man, airy shots to a vacant square leg region, prods to fieldsmen who Vaughan had placed too deep, anxiety became apparent. Overthrows started coming, Simon Jones dropped a chance that should have been taken at third man, and valuable runs were gifted away.

And yet, somehow England escaped. When Stephen Harmison got a leg-side tickle from Kasprowicz which was well taken by the much-maligned Geraint Jones, Edgbaston erupted. Was it relief or joy? Certainly, England had squared the Ashes at one-all on the back of a brilliant performance from their premier all-rounder - not dissimilar circumstances to the 1981 Test at Headingley. Yet the 1983 Test at Melbourne, where Jeff Thomson and Allan Border came within three runs of victory, may be a better comparison.

England had won by two runs, and it was a burly Lancastrian nicknamed Freddie who had played a key role.

On that first day, the lion-hearted Flintoff and fellow big-hitter Kevin Pietersen added a brisk 103 for the fifth wicket, and in doing so steered England towards a total of 407 on the first day within eighty overs. The pace of the innings was frenetic, but it was England, for a change, who were setting it.

Australia's response was flustered as they tried to match pace with the home side. Hayden registered the first golden duck of his career; Ponting drove and flicked with dexterity before paddling the resurgent Ashley Giles to short fine leg; Martyn was lazy, and the rest fell away. The pitch was turning, but it was no minefield, yet no player made a century.

As at Lord's, Australia seemed to have regained control - or at least returned proceedings to normality - when they ripped the heart out of England's top order once more. Brett Lee, having been slammed from pillar to post in the first innings, confounded his critics in the best manner possible, removing the dangerous Marcus Trescothick, nightwatchman Matthew Hoggard and, symbolically, English captain Michael Vaughan in quick succession.

With the innings teetering at 75/6 and a lead of only 174, Flintoff, on painkillers after straining his left shoulder, bludgeoned four more sixes and six fours on his way to a match-winning 73.

Had he conceded at 131/9, England would have lost the match. A vital 51-run stand between Flintoff (73) and last man Simon Jones (12*) was understated somewhat at the time, but Australia, with the remnants of an infallible air still circulating, had eleven men in the shed.

A more circumspect yet streaky start from Hayden and Langer propped Australia up to 47 without loss, before Flintoff stepped in. With questions over his ability to bowl with an injured shoulder, he promptly erased doubts when he struck Langer on the elbow and celebrated wildly as the ball rebounded onto the stumps.

One of the best five-ball bursts one is likely to see at a cricket ground followed thereafter; at Flintoff's mercy was Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who survived two vociferous lbw appeals before edging to 'keeper Geraint Jones.

While Australia consolidated somewhat, Flintoff had sparked what would become a procession of wickets later in the day. Matthew Hoggard and Ashley Giles joined in on the act, and when Flintoff removed Jason Gillespie with a brilliant inswinging yorker, the rash element of Australia's tail was exposed.

A crafty piece of bowling from Harmison at the other end saw the downfall of Michael Clarke in the last over before stumps, and wild hysterics followed. England thought they had sewn up the match there and then, but for the defiance of Warne, Lee and Kasprowicz, who almost saw Australia over the line.

Flintoff was particular in reserving his praises for Lee, with whom he has had many on-field confrontations.

"Brett Lee was outstanding. He bowled his heart out and to bat the way he did this morning was great," said Flintoff, while receiving the man of the match award.

"Everyone who's come to watch [the Test] has enjoyed it and it has been a great advertisement for Test cricket."

Flintoff also played down his match-winning performance, before issuing a call to arms.

"It's difficult to get [batting and bowling] both going together - at Old Trafford I'll probably end up with a couple of wickets and no runs.

"We've got to (win the Ashes)," he stressed. "We'll take a lot of heart from this but on Thursday at Old Trafford they're going to hit us hard. They've shown us the character that they've got in the dressing room."

English captain Michael Vaughan was obviously overjoyed with the win, and not facing the prospect of going two-nil down to Australia.

"It's been an epic game and full credit to the way Australia came out this morning.

"I really thought a hundred runs on the last morning was too much, but the way my team came out and showed a bit of character at the end there ... I think most of the guys had thought it was gone," Vaughan said.

"[Being] one-nil down against a good team like Australia, you can't afford to go two-nil down."

Australian captain Ricky Ponting was obviously disappointed after the match, but was looking forward to Old Trafford.

"It's hard (to accept defeat), but at the end of the day we got very close. Full credit to England; they played very well throughout this Test match.

"Shane Warne's game, ten wickets and the runs he got in the second innings, was outstanding and to have Brett Lee and Kasprowicz standing up against those guys was amazing.

"We were always giving ourselves a chance. Shane's a good batsman and he's shown that throughout the county season this year and a lot of hard work and discipline had to go into it.

"[The batsmen] took a few on the body and stood up to it but unfortunately we just weren't good enough," Ponting said.

Ponting also rued the absence of Glenn McGrath, who is unlikely to play at Old Trafford.

"You're always going to miss someone of that skill and experience but Kasprowicz bowled extremely well in Worcester and we probably needed his batting. Glenn's actually moving around a lot better now.

"There's three runs in the game and we probably feel could've won the game. At the end of the day, if we batted a bit better in the first innings it may have been different," Ponting added.

The series, now locked at one-all, moves on to Old Trafford in Manchester for the third Test, which will begin on August 11.