The Ashes - The Greatest Series (Box Set)

Advantages: Great memento of an outstanding series
Disadvantages: Disappointing extras, feature missing vital factors

...years, and have lived through the highs and lows of each test series with the England squad. Every time the Ashes came around I always looked forward to a master class by one of the greatest cricketing forces the world has known….and England played too. That was until the spectacularly gripping series of 2005, commemorated on this DVD, when England regained the little brown urn for the first time in 18 years. The Packaging The set comprises of ...
...featuring the victorious England captain holding the urn on the front. Each DVD box has a cover relevant to its content - DVD 1 features Freddie Flintoff in classic starfish celebration pose; DVD 2 shows a radiant Matthew Hoggard; DVD 3 features the whole England team on the cover, fronted by Vaughan holding the Ashes urn aloft. The back of each case shows flaming stumps in front of the faces of the two captains, Michael Vaughan of England and Ricky ... Read review

Advantages: A collection of the greatest test series of them all
Disadvantages: Special features lack substance

...and eating cucumber sandwiches. By the end of it, it had enticed a whole nation into it's hypnotic spell, as well as being a unique sporting event. England vs. Australia, otherwise known as The Ashes, takes place every two years - once in England, then in Australia, yet the small urn has been held by the Aussies ever since England last won in 1987. Yet the patriotic Englishman had some reason to be cheerful and optimistic this time around with players ...
...players to great ones in the past 18 months. Yet no one could have forseen the drama that was to unravel: The first of the 3 disks in the box-set contains the 1st and 2nd tests - Lords, July 21-24th 2005 and Edgbaston, August 4th-7th 2005. After a brief build-up featuring England vs. Bangladesh earlier in the summer and the one-day matches, the action commences - after an explosive spell by Steve Harmison, who took 5 wickets in the innings, and ... Read review

Advantages: Comprehensive, Great Value, A sporting occasion that surpassed hype
Disadvantages: Mark Nicholas (minor)

Please do not judge the contents of this excellent dvd by the slim highlights of the Ashes being shown on Channel 5 tonight. Introduction If ever there was a silver lining to the BBC devoting most of our licence fee to 'strictly celebrity boil an egg, buy a house, rebuild the bathroom with balsa wood and sell an old charlie wells ashtray for 20p at an antiques fair....' type programmes, this dvd is it. Channel Four's coverage of cricket and horse ...
...by the BBC (except for the Lakeside Darts which is entertaining in a different way). Maybe the powers at be at the BBC can look at 4 to see how to do it. Sorry to go on but I had to get that off my chest. In one of the post match interviews, Jones says how nice it is that cricket is on the front page. He sums up the series and this dvd. Whilst football analysis attaches superlatives to mediocrity, here the sport did all the talking and superlatives ... Read review

Advantages: Relive all the tension of the 2005 series
Disadvantages: None

Who can ever forget the magnificent 2005 Ashes series. The Australians came into the series having held the Ashes since 1987, could England finally release their grip this time round. England were full of confidence going into the series on the back of their winter success in South Africa and had skittled the Australians out for under a hundred in the recent Twenty-20 match. This Australian team was not going to lie down though. Posessing stars like ...
...a tough test for the English Lions. I had this bought for me as a Christmas present which cost £20 at the time. I'm sure it has now been reduced This DVD captures all the main actual as caught by the Channel 5 camera, key interviews and clips that were not broadcast on the main TV coverage. The DVDs are ordered as follows :- DVD 1 - 1st Test at Lords, 2nd Test at Edgbaston The first test of the series saw Kevin Pietersen make his England test ... Read review

Advantages: A comprehensive and uplifting DVD boxset to remind all English cricket lovers of happier times
Disadvantages: Test cricket was not invented for a highlights reel!

...minute of sleep in between, the average English cricket fan could do with a boost to get them through the dreary January days. So sit down with a glass of something strong (don't feel guilty, think of what you've endured!) and relight the fading embers of the greatest test series of them all. The DVD is produced by the award winning Sunset and Vine (basically the Channel 4 TV coverage) and features such innovations as Hawk Eye, the Analyst, and Hi ...
...the scintilating action. Seminal moments such Benaud's spine tingling exclamation of 'Jones...Bowden!' at the extroadinary close of the Edgbaston test and Mark Nicholas's proclomation of 'Given the moment, given the batsman, and given the match, that is a stagerring gamble that has paid off' as Harmison skitled Clarke are captured here for you to enjoy forever. But of course the real joy is the cricket. And what a feast of cricket it is. Two vastly ... Read review