England’s famous 2005 Ashes series victory over Australia was driven by a four-prong pace attack and the back-up left-arm spin of Ashley Giles. Their efforts helped the Three Lions to a 2-1 series triumph which enabled England to take hold of the Ashes for the first time since 1987, with the Aussies having won eight consecutive series during a period of total domination.
Cricket Legends: 2005 Ashes Series, Where Are They Now?
Since their heroics Andrew Flintoff, Giles, Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and Simon Jones have gone on to take up very different challenges, including media and coaching work.
The 2005 Ashes Legends: Freddie Flintoff
All-rounder Flintoff was the most high-profile of the quintet of bowling stars and it was no surprise to see him go into television and media work when his playing days were over.He is a long-time captain on the Sky panel show A League of Their Own, while he showed his universal popularity by winning the first Australian series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!.
Flintoff’s profile rose even higher in 2018 when he became one of the presenters on the BBC show Top Gear, while his exit from that role in late 2022 following a crash saw him eventually move back into the cricketing world. He has been coaching the England white-ball squads in recent times and has also been confirmed as the new head coach of the England Lions, meaning that he has the chance to mould the next generation of potential stars.
The 2005 Ashes Legends: King of Spin
Giles is the only one of the five stars to have remained within the game since his playing days came to a close in 2007 due to a hip injury. He has since been Warwickshire’s director of cricket, leading them to the County Championship Division One title in 2012, before becoming England’s head coach in white-ball cricket between 2012 and 2014.
Giles next cropped up as cricket director and head coach of Lancashire, before returning to Edgbaston to become sport director at Warwickshire in December 2016. Two years later he was back in the England set-up as managing director of men’s cricket, while he is currently the chief executive of Worcestershire.
The 2005 Ashes Legends: Steve Harmison
Durham pace ace Harmison’s playing career stretched to October 2013 before he eventually called it a day and he has since worked for Sky Sports as a pundit and commentator, while also branching out into his other love, football.
He spent two years as manager of non-league Ashington in his native north-east, while more recently he has been back doing media work as a TalkSport correspondent covering both cricket and his beloved Newcastle United.
The 2005 Ashes Legends: Hoggy Hoggard
As was his way as a player, Yorkshireman Hoggard has kept a low profile since retiring from the game, although he did pop up as a contestant on the BBC show Celebrity Masterchef in 2013. He is currently using those culinary skills at Hoggy’s Grill, a cooking school based at Rutland Water Garden Nursery, Manton, Leicestershire.
The 2005 Ashes Legends: Simon Jones
Jones had perhaps the most talent of any of the quintet of bowling stars, but serious injuries cut short his Test career after just 18 appearances, although he managed to keep playing for several years after his England days were over.
He, like Hoggard, has shunned the spotlight for much of the time since he called time on his playing career and was last spotted helping to coach both the boys and girls at Llandaff Cathedral School.
By Jack Ogalbe
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