2000: England v West Indies, Lord's

England had not beaten the West Indies in a Test series since 1969. But hopes were high as the two teams headed to Edgbaston for the series opener.

Nasser Hussain: We had not won the Wisden Trophy for donkeys' years, it was my first major series in charge, and this was our big chance, but they had people like Courtney Walsh, who I always found difficult to play, Curtly Ambrose and Brian Lara, and they were well led by Jimmy Adams.

Surely England would not have a better opportunity against a West Indian side that had lost their last ten Tests away, and in the first couple of series under Adams' captaincy, had scraped narrow home wins over Zimbabwe and Pakistan?

After slumping to the bottom of the unofficial world rankings with defeat against New Zealand the year before, England had shown a few encouraging signs in South Africa, especially considering the disastrous opening to the Test series. An unspectacular win over Zimbabwe at the start of the English summer, and the dawn of central contracts, hinted that the team were heading in the right direction under new coach Duncan Fletcher.

Alas, it seemed a case of same old, same old, as English optimism was swiftly replaced with a huge dose of realism. A defeat by an innings and 93 runs inside three days, totals of 179 and 125, and a miserable Saturday at Edgbaston for this writer - including far too much alcohol to drown my sorrows - left many English fans with a familiar feeling.

Darren Gough, writing in his News of the World column, voiced doubts as to whether he would ever be part of a successful England team:

Saturday night and it's all over. It's embarrassing. I know friends and family wonder what's going on after the promising start at Lord's against Zimbabwe. But that's the England set-up at present. It promises a lot more than it delivers. We can't hide from the truth

Hussain, struggling for form, made himself available for Essex's Sunday League match against Nottinghamshire. It would prove to be a painful decision.

Hussain: We were due to pick the team for the second Test at Lord's later that day, but by the time we got round to it I was already struggling to make the Test side because I stopped a shot from Chris Read in the covers and immediately felt the pain of a finger injury.

Chaos reigned. Alec Stewart was installed as temporary skipper; replacing the man who had replaced him. Michael Vaughan, a player who had shown so much promise in South Africa, came back into the team. Dominic Cork was recalled after eighteen months out of the reckoning, with Craig White also included. And Yorkshire fast bowler Matthew Hoggard would be handed a debut.

Gough: All week I was waiting to find out what the selectors would do. 'Very little' was the answer. Our highest individual score in the last three innings was 34, yet the batsmen were retained en bloc. They might have been our best players, but now was the time for more drastic action.

The shuffling of the pack didn't seem to matter as the first two sessions progressed. Putting the West Indies in, for long stretches of the first day the tourists were in full control. Reaching lunch at 79/0 and tea at 170/2, Stewart's decision to field first was looking shaky at best.

Gough: The Windies went in at lunch on the first day with all wickets intact. That was our fault; we tried too hard and didn't use the conditions properly. We have been notoriously slow starters over the years; it's part of the English disease.

Sherwin Campbell's 82 set the platform, with Wavell Hinds slapping ten fours in his exciting 59. Nevertheless, a stirring final session from England brought them back into the match, with Gough and Cork combining to rip out the heart of the West Indian innings.

Reon King and Walsh managed to get through to a close of play brought forward to due to bad light, yet at 267/9 the West Indians had seemingly let a strong position slip through their fingers.

Christopher Martin-Jenkins (The Times): Cork was both the catalyst of the sudden change of fortune, and the bowler who made sure it was sustained.

Mike Walters (Daily Mirror): Without a tenacious late fightback led by the Derbyshire swinger and Darren Gough, England's hopes of taming the West Indies would have been drowned out by the concert party (at lunch on the first day, reggae band Third World, and Jools Holland performed underneath the relatively new media centre).

If the conclusion to day one had seen exciting scenes, then it had nothing on the following act. A quite breathtaking Friday at Lord's included a part of all four innings on the same day for the first time in Test history.

The fun and games commenced immediately, as Caddick finally picked up a wicket, trapping Walsh leg before with the first delivery of the day. But before you could blink, England were 10/3, with experimental opener Mark Ramprakash, regular opener Atherton, and Vaughan back in the pavilion. Graeme Hick threatened briefly, but when he and Nick Knight departed before lunch, England were 50/5 and staring down the barrel.

The body of English cricket wasn't quite dead yet, but the obituaries were being prepared. The London Evening Standard headline later in the day - 58/5: Pathetic England - summed up the feeling neatly.

Somehow England managed to scrape up to 134 (Stewart 28, White 27, Hick 25), although the deficit of 133 appeared to spell the end for their hopes, as Walsh and Ambrose continued their hold over the hosts with combined figures of 8/73. The fat lady wasn't singing yet; in truth, she'd probably left the ground already to miss the rush.

Hussain: When we slipped to 134 all out we looked dead and buried. For the first (but not the last) time, I wondered how secure my position was as England captain. I went for a run round St John's Wood and I remember thinking, 'God, we're going to go two down. Where do we go from here?'

Gough: By teatime on Friday England were all but finished. Another three-day defeat was looming.

England needed a miracle, and they received it in the shape of Andy Caddick. Quite why the Somerset bowler was so effective throughout his career in the second innings in which he bowled remains a mystery; he averaged 20 with the ball as opposed to 37 in first innings.

Atherton: In this instance, I think Caddick felt the pressure and expectation an opening bowler feels when a captain inserts the opposition on the morning of a match, and he tightened up. In the second innings there was less pressure, the pitch was bouncier and more uneven, and Caddick brought us right back into the match.

A stunning catch at third man by Gough started the avalanche.

Gough: My first reaction was 'Oh, ****!' I knew it was travelling and going to my right. I started to move. I had no option. Death or glory. Because of our hopeless position, I had to go for the catch. It stuck. Relief. This might not be the catch that wins us the Test, but I was certain as hell that if I had dropped it we were going to lose the match and the series.

Channel Four anchorman Mark Nicholas: One of the greats.

Gough: Caddie had been down in the dumps and I saw his eyes light up. He's a bowler whose whole performance can hinge on a single moment.

From that point on Caddick was unplayable.

Atherton: It was a reversal of all the years of being pounded by the West Indian quick bowlers. Now their batsmen were on the receiving end and they didn't like it.

Stewart: Caddick's spell of bowling that brought him 5 for 16 was the best I've ever kept to by an England bowler. He had good pace, steep bounce and he didn't waste a single ball.

As the wickets continued to fall, the crowd became more and more involved, not the norm at HQ.

Atherton: In the next two incredible hours, amid the kind of fervent atmosphere I had never experienced at Lord's, we bowled out the West Indies for 54.

It was difficult for umpires Venkat and John Hampshire not to get swept up by the occasion. Certainly Hinds, Chanderpaul and Adams could count themselves unlucky to be given out, yet umpiring mistakes were understandable in that environment.

As Caddick took his fifth wicket, the tourists were tottering on 39/8, and Channel Four displayed a list of the lowest ever West Indian totals in Test match cricket. A last wicket stand of 13 between King and Walsh avoided the embarrassment of "beating" their worst ever Test score. However, the collapse to 54 all out was, at the time, their lowest total against England.

Incredibly, Atherton and Ramprakash found themselves back out in the middle to face the music, yet it says a lot for the madness surrounding that day when the home crowd cheered as bad light stopped play after just seven balls.

Richie Benaud: I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this before, and I've been fiddling around with the game for quite some time.

Naturally the written media went to town.

Daily Express: Shaky Windies blown away by Cyclone Caddick.

Colin Bateman (Daily Express): On a day that bordered on the absurd even by English standards, the emotions of the Lord's supporters yesterday ranged from the suicidal to the delirious.

Daily Mirror: 54 ALL OUT..AND IT'S NOT ENGLAND

Martin Samuel (Daily Express): Overs 13, maidens 8, runs 16, wickets 5. West Indies 54 all out. They are figures which demand a double take, like Anna Kournikova's curves or Emile Heskey's transfer fee.

Every story stressed a note of caution, however, especially as Nick Knight had broken his finger after dropping Ridley Jacobs in the slips.

Martin-Jenkins: By ferocious bowling from both ends, they (Caddick, Gough and Cork) gave England a very outside chance of an extraordinary win from behind in the second Cornhill Test at Lord's.

Walters: England need 188 to square the Cornhill series 1-1 today. If they make it, this will go down as their most incredible victory since Botham's Ashes in 1981.

Chasing a total of 188 to win - the total number of runs that had been scored for the loss of 21 wickets on the Friday - not many gave England a chance against the combined might of Ambrose and Walsh.

Hussain: In the circumstances it felt like 400 and I honestly think it was harder to reach than 400 on a flat one, batting last.

Stewart: But a target of 188 was a big request against Walsh and Ambrose. The pitch was bouncy, the ball seamed around in overcast conditions, and it was going to be very hard work.

After a 50 minutes delay on the Saturday, Ramprakash failed again, and with it walked off the Test match scene for another year. Step forward Atherton and Vaughan.

Atherton: Both of us missed more balls than we hit in the early stage of our innings; we laughed readily and shrugged off our inadequacy and the excellence of the West Indies' new ball attack, and agreed we should try and tuck in when the change of bowling came.

Constant interruptions in play due to bad weather frustrated this plan, though.

Gough: These rain breaks weren't helping England much; they kept giving Walsh and Ambrose a breather, delaying the introduction of the Windies second-string bowlers.

Atherton took 28 balls to get off the mark, and Vaughan 29. At one point, England went 31 minutes without scoring a run off the bat. But when Rose and King entered the attack, it was blatantly clear to everyone that their offerings had to be tucked into. Slowly but surely the Atherton and Vaughan stand reached 50 - England's first of the series - although Vaughan was eventually dismissed by Walsh for 41. The partnership between the two Michaels proved to be a match winning effort.

Hussain: I hate jogging. Always have done. But I went for another run that Saturday at Lord's, with my hand in a plaster cast. When I came back, Atherton and Vaughan were putting on a stand of 92 that was just priceless; it was worth three times as much.

England went to tea on 109/2 and were within 79 runs of an unbelievable win. It was never going to be that easy, though. A Walsh double strike pegged England back to 120/4, as he removed Hick and then Atherton.

Atherton: In the circumstances - the nature of the wicket, the quality of the bowling and the importance of the game - I regard the 45 I scored that day as one of my best and most important innings for England.

Walsh may have taken all four wickets, but how Ambrose had remained wicketless was a mystery. His figures at tea were 13-8-13-0; with a bit of luck, Ambrose could have repeated his Port of Spain heroics in 1994.

Stewart briefly attacked Rose, yet when he and White were both dismissed by Walsh, England were still 48 runs short of victory with only four wickets in hand.

Knight’s brave innings was ended by Rose, and Ambrose finally took a wicket, trapping Caddick LBW. At 160/8 the Windies were favourites. Darren Gough made his way to the middle, to join a determined Cork.

Gough: One of the great tactical conversations of all time followed. 'We can get these runs,' he said. 'That's what I was thinking. You carry on batting the way you have been, keep thumping the bad ball. I'll take the singles. I'm not going to get out. Trust me. I'll block it. I won't do anything silly. You play your shots.'

Hussain: You could not ask for two better or worse players to have in that situation than Gough and Cork. They were the jokers of the dressing room.

Nicholas: Is the script written? Is this the revenge of Cork? Fancy leaving me out for so long, Mr Selector, sir.

Adams delayed bringing Walsh back into the attack, sticking with Franklyn Rose. Cork knew that the time had arrived. Launching a six into the Grand Stand, and then hitting a four over mid-on, the target had been reduced to just 16. England fans could dare to dream.

Sat at home with my bladder bursting, I knew I couldn't leave my seat; cricket players and fans are insanely superstitious. And you could tell how gripped the Lord's crowd were. Every single was cheered as if the Ashes had been won; chants of "Come on England" filled the air. You couldn't take your eyes off the action, even though it was so tense that you wanted to.

The winning line seemed to take an age to come into view. Cork was beaten by an Ambrose jaffa; the same batsman almost holed out to Adams at mid-off; a brilliant piece of fielding from Rose nearly saw the end of Gough. Through it all, Hoggard looked on anxiously.

Atherton: He sat pale and nervous under his helmet in the far corner of the dressing room, chewing his chin-strap and unable to speak to anyone.

Hussain: I was sitting next to Hoggy in the dressing room, having met him for only the first time five days earlier, and he didn't strike me at that time as the sort of batsman I wanted to go in with the task of scoring the winning runs for us!

The light began to fade, but as each single was chalked off, a nation held its breath.

Stewart: We were just fans with England sweaters on during that last hour.

Hussain: We couldn't breathe in the dressing room.

Gough: No chance of us going off; this had to be finished tonight. Can you imagine trying to sleep with six runs needed to win and Ambrose and Walsh resting up? No way.

The pair got the equation down to three runs needed, and when Cork's legs brought two runs, England could not be beaten. Three nerve wracking dot balls followed, yet a fine cover drive from Cork finished the match off, as the whole of Lord's erupted.

Benaud: That's it. That is a magnificent victory and a wonderful cricket match played by two splendid teams.

Gough: Lord's went mad. I've always felt that the home of cricket, even at its most enthusiastic and excited, is a restrained place. Too much of a show of emotion is not English or cricket, old boy. What have I got to say to that? Bollocks! If this didn't want to make you jump about and shout, nothing would.

Stewart: It was one of the great Test match days of my career - cricket at its very best.

Hussain: It was also a major turning point in modern English cricket.

Hussain was spot-on. This match marked the tipping point in the modern-day Wisden Trophy contests. Apart from 2009, England have held sway in subsequent Test match series between the two sides. Sneaking the win saved the summer, just as Edgbaston 2005 did. The consequences of defeat do not bear thinking about.

The celebrations continued at Ramprakash's benefit dinner at the Landmark Hotel in Marylebone.

Gough: I was in no fit state to drive home the next morning. Michael Vaughan and his girlfriend Nicola came back with me, and I handed the car keys to my Yorkshire colleague. He stopped at the first M1 service station for me to be sick. Vaughanie was picked up at a junction, just before home. I was still half asleep and ended up driving back down the motorway for three junctions, wondering why Leeds had disappeared from road-signs, to be replaced by London.

The series resumed after a delay of a month for the tri-series involving England, Zimbabwe and the West Indies. England had the better of a rain-affected draw at Old Trafford; Stewart scoring a century in his 100th Test, and on the Queen Mother's 100th birthday. A dramatic two-day win at Headingley, and victory at the Oval, saw Hussain lift the Wisden Trophy. It would not have been possible without the comeback at Lord's.

Little wonder, then, that Channel Four would release a video shortly after the match.

Hussain: There have been great Tests since, but that was the ultimate Test.

Sources:

Opening Up - My Autobiography Paperback: Michael Atherton (2003)

Playing With Fire: The Autobiography: Nasser Hussain (2004)

Dazzler: The Autobiography: Darren Gough (2001)

Playing for Keeps: The Autobiography: Alec Stewart (2004)