First Ashes Test, Cardiff (day five:
England 435 & 252-9 drew with Australia 674-6 declared
Match scorecard](BBC SPORT | Cricket Scorecard)
By Oliver Brett
**England’s last-wicket pair James Anderson and Monty Panesar defied Australia for 40 minutes to clinch a draw in the first Ashes Test.**Amid scenes of high tension in Cardiff, and with every dot ball roared by a capacity crowd, England somehow kept Australia’s spinners at bay.
Paul Collingwood hit a valiant 74 after England, 20-2 overnight, had lost three further wickets inside 90 minutes.
Australia seemed certain winners then, but somehow England clung on.
Collingwood’s innings lasted 245 balls, five and three quarter hours in all. It was an innings of grisly determination, which put the efforts of other players in the top order sharply into perspective.
But with 50 minutes to go in the match, and England still a tantalising six runs away from making Australia bat again, the Durham man played probably his first slightly risky shot.
Attempting to steer Siddle wide of point he instead hit it high to backward point, where Michael Hussey parried a catch above his head, before taking it - agonisingly - at the second opportunity.
It seemed now, with Panesar coming out to join Anderson, that England would lose in heart-breaking fashion. But the last man refused to be an easy target, and when Anderson squirted Siddle down to third man for four, England had a precious lead.
Significantly, that meant England did not have to bat until the 1850 BST cut-off. They just had to get past 1840, which meant facing around three overs fewer.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who seemed to underbowl his hugely impressive swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus, gave the final few overs to the two off-spinners Nathan Hauritz and Marcus North.
But Hauritz, though he had bowled brilliantly earlier in the day, taking three significant wickets, was by now tired and North was not a danger to two vastly improved tail-enders.
When the clock ticked past 1840 BST, it was clear that Hauritz was bowling the last over. Anderson survived his 53rd delivery - Panesar had hung around for 35 - and the ground roared as one to salute a famous result.
More to follow.