Fred takes the Ashes, Warnie eats dust

Right up until the final moments, the question remain unanswered; would it be Warnie8217;s Ashes or would it be Freddie8217;s?

Would the greatest series on record between England and Australia be remembered for the feats of the giant, wholehearted lad from Preston, Lancashire, or the genius from Ferntree Gully, Victoria?

Would it be English beef and brute strength or Australian bloody-mindedness and guile? For five tests, nothing divided them. England8217;s man of the series? Flintoff. Australia8217;s? Warne.

Flintoff had been dreaming of playing against Australia since he was a boy and delighted in the challenge. 8216;8216;The Ashes, it8217;s great, innit?8217;8217; the all-rounder had said after the first exchanges. He talked about small windows when his batting worked, and small windows when it was the turn of his bowling. When challenged by the best side in the world, however, everything worked at once. He averaged 40 with the bat, compared to a career average of 33.43, while taking a personal record of 24 wickets.