History of the England cricket team from 1945 Australia won the first Test at Lord's comfortably, but England came back to win the second Test at Edgbaston with a two run victory, the narrowest win by runs in Ashes history. The third Test ended in a draw, with one day having been lost to rain and England one wicket away from victory. England then narrowly won the fourth Test in Nottingham by three wickets after forcing the Australians to follow on. In the fifth and final Test at the Oval in London England came into the final day needing to avoid a defeat with a lead of 40
Edgbaston Cricket Ground at the redeveloped venue was the third Test vs India on 10 August 2011, which saw England reach the number 1 position in the ICC Test Championship for the first time with victory by an innings and 242 runs on the fourth day of the match. Edgbaston is considered to be one of England's leading cricket grounds. "Wisden"'s guide to cricket grounds in 1992 commented that "Lord's is really its only superior in the United Kingdom" with "The Daily Telegraph" agreeing in 2009 that "taken all in all, it is now the best ground outside Lord's." After the opening of