Fans arrived at Everton’s resplendent Hill Dickson Stadium to the sound of Black Eyed Peas’ 2009 hit I Gotta Feeling, the lyrics “I’ve got a feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night” reverberating around Liverpool’s docks. And boy was it for the Kangaroos, but only just.
The green and gold won their 14th Ashes series in a row, the first since 2003, with a solid second-half response that decided the second Test in their favour. But a display for the ages from Australia – a routine or one-sided victory most expected – it was not. England played with fire, matching the Kangaroos and frustrating them at every stage in an eye-catching first half. But, as the last 55 years have told us, it was still Australia holding the trophy aloft.
