Best ever win for the Aussies

What took Australians to the thrilling Ashes triumph that they now rate as their greatest ever, was the alteration in the course of Ashes with Shane Warne’s magical bowling that made Australia stare down England's greatest challenge on a seemingly unstoppable charge.

"It's one of the all-time great Test wins as far as I'm concerned,” said Captain Ricky Ponting as Australia celebrated.

Warne took 4-49 as England slumped from 59 for one overnight to be all out for 129 in its second innings, Australia reached the 168 required for victory with 19 balls to spare. "As much as the body was starting to tire, the adrenalin was going and we were about to achieve, in 140-odd Tests, the greatest Test I've ever played in," said the celebrated bowler.

After declaring at 551 for six and dismissing Australia for 513 England took a 38-run first innings lead but soon surrendered the advantages it labored for with the last nine wickets falling for 60 runs.

Australia sailed to winning target with 3.3 overs to spare, after Ricky Ponting and three other batsmen were sent back to the pavilion. Michael Hussey made 61 and Michael Clarke 21 to carry Autralia to the big win.

“For them to be 6-550 midway through the second day and us to win the game from there . . . I have played enough Test match cricket over the years to know our cricket over the past few days was as good as you could play. They (England) would not have even been thinking about losing the game when they turned up today.”

The most anticipated outcome of the match was a tamed draw but as the news of Australia's chase spread through the southern city the crowd swelled up to 30,000 at the Adelaide Oval to witness one of the all-time great Test wins.

Ponting credited Warne for the miraculous turnaround, plunging England to an unaccountable defeat. "He's changed the course of this Test match and it could even be the summer with that spell of bowling," he said.

"I think we all thought if we get two or three in a row we might just put them under pressure," said Warne who was supported by Bret Lee.

To recover from this psychological setback England has to find a way of not only preventing another Australian victory but also emerge the winner in at least two of the last three Tests to be held in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney while trying to retain the Ashes it won so dramatically at home, a little more than a year ago. No touring team has ever recovered from 2-0 down in Australia to level a series.