The 20th anniversary of the 2005 Ashes series is a moment in time: a chance to capture the 12 England winners as they are now in their 40s and 50s.
The 20th anniversary of the 2005 Ashes series is a moment in time: a chance to capture the 12 England winners as they are now in their 40s and 50s.
There are thousands of photos of those guys in their cricket whites. This had to be different, a project that would stand out and shine a new light on familiar faces.
It took 54 days of travelling up and down the country between covering the England v India Test series to photograph each one individually, starting with Andrew Flintoff when he was coaching the Lions against India A at Canterbury and ending with Paul Collingwood at his home in Shotley Bridge, County Durham.
I shot them all identically: all wearing a new black T-shirt, the same lens, the same camera settings, the same white card background and the same lighting so they match – but it is still incredible how different they all look.
I did a similar project to mark the 40-year anniversary of the 1981 Ashes. Seventeen out of the 20 players were still alive and 16 agreed to be photographed (Alan Knott had retired to Cyprus). They were older men – Ian Botham was in his 60s, one or two about 80.
After that, I started thinking about the anniversary of 2005. There were only 12 to photograph but they were scattered around and doing different things with their lives. I asked myself who would be the trickiest to nail down because they are all so busy. I decided to go for those first –Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen were the early targets.
I drove to Worcester to see Ashley Giles and he loved the photograph so much he has used it on the cover of his new autobiography. I took the Pietersen picture at his house in Surrey. I had to be at Sir Andrew Strauss’s home at 7.30am and I was up at 4am to drive to Shotley Bridge to see Collingwood after going to bed at 1am after a women’s ODI at Lord’s.
Simon Jones, who lives in Wales, happened to be at Lord’s and Geraint Jones, who is down in Kent, I managed to grab at Radlett. All were as good as gold, no issues with posing and, together, the uniformity of the images makes them stand out.
Favourite 2005 memory…
2005 Ashes statistics
431 runs at an average of 43.10.
Where is he now?
Trescothick’s Test career ended in 2006, aged 30, because of a stress-related illness that prevented him travelling abroad. However, he continued to open the batting prolifically for his home county, Somerset, long past his 40th birthday, finally retiring in 2019. Now 49, he is an assistant coach with England.
Favourite 2005 memory…
2005 Ashes statistics
393 runs at 39.30.
Where is he now?
Strauss scored 21 hundreds in 100 Tests, and became one of England’s great captains. He led England to Ashes glory in 2009 and 2010-11, their only victory Down Under in their last nine attempts. Retired in 2012, then became England’s director of cricket three years later, masterminding the 2019 World Cup win. Quit to care for his wife Ruth, who died of a rare non-smoker’s lung cancer in 2018. Now a knight, the 48-year-old is also executive chair of TTB Sport Capital.
Favourite 2005 memory…
2005 Ashes statistics
326 runs at 32.6.
Where is he now?
England’s captain in 2005 retired from Test cricket in 2008 and the game in 2009. Now 50, he is an outspoken and influential pundit and commentator, currently for the BBC and Fox in Australia, as well as being a Telegraph Sport columnist. Has business interests, and this year helped found the Knight-Stokes Cup, a tournament for state schools. His son, Archie, is a first-team regular at Somerset.
Favourite 2005 memory…
2005 Ashes statistics
171 runs at 17.10.
Where is he now?
The youngest member of the 2005 side (he is still only 43) went on to play 118 Tests and retired a decade later as a five-time Ashes winner (the equal-most by an Englishman since 1900). He continued playing for Warwickshire until 2020, and is now a respected freelance coach holding a number of roles around the world.
Favourite 2005 memory…
2005 Ashes statistics
473 runs at 52.55.
Where is he now?
Pietersen burst on to the scene in 2005, the start of a magnificent 104-Test career. He scored 23 hundreds and won the Ashes four times, but his England career ended on a sour note in 2014 when he was unceremoniously sacked. Continued as a freelance T20 gun for hire with success, and is now a commentator, conservationist and coach. This year, the 45-year-old was a team mentor for Delhi Capitals in the IPL.
Favourite 2005 memory…
2005 Ashes statistics
402 runs at 40.20 and 24 wickets at an average of 27.29.
Where is he now?
The face of the 2005 summer drifted away from cricket after injury forced his retirement following the victorious 2009 Ashes. He became a vast media personality, working in both light entertainment and on serious documentaries. Was involved in a near-fatal car crash while filming Top Gear in 2022, and has since returned to working in cricket. Now 47 he is head coach of England Lions and Northern Superchargers. Sons Corey and Rocky are making their way in the professional game with Kent and Lancashire respectively.
Favourite 2005 memory…
2005 Ashes statistics
229 runs at 25.44, 15 catches and one stumping.
Where is he now?
The wicketkeeper who took one of the most memorable catches in Test history last played for England in 2006 and in county cricket in 2015. Since retiring, he has worked as a teacher, cricket coach and also re-trained as a firefighter. The 49-year-old also had a stint playing for Papua New Guinea, where he was born.
Favourite 2005 memory…
2005 Ashes statistics
115 runs at 19.37; 10 wickets at 57.80.
Where is he now?
Giles has remained in the game since his last professional action on the 2006 Ashes tour. Worked as a coach and administrator at Lancashire and Warwickshire, then became England’s director of cricket at a difficult time after Strauss, helping the game navigate the Covid-19 pandemic. Since leaving ECB in 2022, the 52-year-old has become chief executive at Worcestershire, and recently published his autobiography The King Of Spain And I.
Favourite 2005 memory…
2005 Ashes statistics
16 wickets at 29.56; 45 runs at 6.42.
Where is he now?
Hoggard’s Test career ended in 2008, when Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad were given the new ball, but he played in county cricket for Yorkshire then Leicestershire until 2013. Having, in his own words, “drifted” in retirement, he now works as a coach at Stamford School and runs his own cookery business, Hoggy’s Grill. He’s 48.
Favourite 2005 memory…
2005 Ashes statistics
17 wickets at 32.29; 60 runs at 10.00.
Where is he now?
Flintoff’s great mate bowed out alongside him at the Oval in 2009, but played a few more seasons in county cricket. Now 46, he works in the media as a popular and respected pundit with Talksport, having been manager of his home town Ashington FC and has spoken openly about struggling with his mental health. His son is in the Durham pathway.
Favourite 2005 memory…
2005 Ashes statistics
18 wickets at 21; 66 runs at 33.00.
Where is he now?
Sadly, injury meant the brilliant Jones never played for England after the Trent Bridge Test in 2005. He drifted around the county game before retiring in 2013. Now 46, he works as a school cricket coach and in business development.
Favourite 2005 memory…
2005 Ashes statistics
17 runs at 8.50.
Where is he now?
Collingwood played just one Test in 2005, but earned an MBE for it – something the Australians never let him forget. But he went on to win the Ashes twice more in a decorated career, and played for Durham until he was 42. Now 49, he was coaching before his playing career ended, and has remained part of England’s backroom staff as an assistant coach since.
About the author, Philip Brown
I grew up in Canberra loving sport. I first photographed a Test match in January 1988 when the Sydney Sunday Telegraph picture editor John Jones sent me to the Sydney Cricket Ground.
I moved to London later that year and shot the 1989 Ashes series before becoming a regular sports photographer for The Telegraph (London). I’ve now photographed 316 Test matches (309 men’s and seven women’s) around the globe.
Category: General Sports
