From the archive: Relive the 2009 Ashes Test at Lord's as Andrew Flintoff led England to victory over Australia

Four years on from arguably the greatest Ashes series of all in 2005, much had changed in English and Australian cricket with the likes of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne long gone. Michael Vaughan, too, but one familiar, talismanic figure remained, hoping for an Ashes swansong before waving goodbye.

For Andrew Flintoff, the Ashes series of 2005 had catapulted him from England cricketer to national hero. An MBE from the Queen soon followed, as did a lucrative contract in the IPL but so, too, did injuries to his knees and ankles and by the time the 2009 Ashes approached, his body had almost cried enough.

For the boy from Preston, the strapping fast bowler and swashbuckling middle-order batsman, 2005 had seen him become a national celebrity, but Flintoff remained at his happiest when playing cricket for his country and an injury-ravaged few years had left him determined to sign off in style. In the Ashes against the old enemy.

The first Test at Cardiff had been played out on a batsman's paradise of a pitch that allowed both sides to make hay with the bat before Australia's late push for victory was only thwarted by a valiant rearguard from James Anderson and Monty Panesar.

Having enjoyed a lucky escape in Wales, England captain Andrew Strauss was eager to seize the momentum when hostilities resumed in the second Test at Lord's and having again called correctly at the toss, he led from the front as he compiled a brilliant 161 to lay the foundations for England's first-innings total of 425.

As the clouds then rolled in over London, Anderson hammered home England's advantage with the ball, knocking over Phillip Hughes and Ricky Ponting cheaply before returning later in the day to dismiss Michael Clarke and Marcus North and reduce the tourists to 156-8 at the close of play.

Anderson wouldn't add to his haul the following morning, but still finished with four wickets, while three scalps for Graham Onions left Australia staring down the barrel of defeat when they were eventually bowled out for 215.

Useful contributions from all of England's top seven, including a 27-ball 30 not out from Flintoff, allowed Strauss to declare his team's second innings on 311-6, but the real drama was still to come.

For Flintoff, this was to be his last appearance at Lord's - a ground that had been kind to him over the years - and he dearly wanted to leave with happy memories and having made one final impact on Ashes cricket.

A searing new-ball spell saw Flintoff remove openers Hughes and Simon Katich to reduce Australia to 43-2; his own figures 7-2-9-2 before he was allowed to retreat to the slip cordon and rest his heavily-strapped knee.

When promising starts for Ponting and Michael Hussey ended prematurely, and North fell cheaply, the visitors were seemingly heading for a heavy defeat in pursuit of a daunting victory target of 522.

However, Australian vice-captain Clarke had spent the ensuing four years since his Ashes introduction in 2005 steadily becoming one of the leading batting forces in the game, and he looked in sublime touch as he cruised to a classy half-century that came at almost a run a ball.

With a dogged and dangerous Brad Haddin for company, Clarke was in no mood to lay down without a fight and by the close of play on day four, the pair had somehow dragged Australia to 313-5 thanks to an unbroken partnership of 185.

When play resumed the following morning, a fascinating fifth day was in prospect with Australia now only 209 runs away from a massive victory target of 522 and with two batsmen well set.

An electric atmosphere had already descended upon Lord's by the time the players took to the field - Australia sensing the opportunity to create some Ashes history at the Home of Cricket, England desperate to hammer home their advantage. And while it was Anderson who set the tone with a fine opening over, it was Flintoff who calmed the nerves by removing Haddin with only his fourth ball of the morning.

Clarke was unperturbed until he somehow yorked himself when advancing to Graeme Swann, the New South Wales native bowled for a brilliant 136 with Australia still 166 runs short of the winning line, their hopes of victory quickly fading.

All the while, Flintoff continued to pound away from the Pavilion End, his mind willing his body to power its way to and then through the crease as he remorselessly hunted Australia's lower order.

For an hour or so, it was Flintoff of old; pace, accuracy and that unrelenting stamina that had made him the star of 2005, and he was thriving on the Ashes drug again as the Lord's faithful willed him on.

Moments later and now into his seventh over of the morning, Flintoff had his arms in the air in his trademark celebration as Hauritz was sent packing after leaving a delivery that jagged back sharply and crashed into the stumps.

And still Flintoff wouldn't relent, not until victory was England's, and he was soon celebrating again when ripping through the defences of Peter Siddle to complete a deserved five-wicket haul and put England within one wicket of a famous win.

It was Swann who claimed that final wicket, the England team and the whole of Lord's erupting in celebration when Mitchell Johnson was dismissed for a resolute 63, but it was Flintoff who was England's hero and as he walked from the Lord's field one final time, the crowd stood to salute him.

Flintoff had put England firmly on course to retain the Ashes.

A drawn third Test at Trent Bridge ensured England kept their noses in front by the time the series moved on to Leeds, but with Flintoff's body again faltering under the strain, he wasn't passed fit to play at Headingley and a thumping victory for Australia meant the final match of the series at the Oval had effectively become a cup final.

This time there was no stopping Flintoff taking to the field and while he wasn't quite able to replicate his heroics from Lord's with the ball, he still had one final hand to play: a brilliant direct hit to run out Ponting when Australia were again making a good fist of chasing down a huge total to win the match and, indeed, the series.

Victory allowed Flintoff to head off into the sunset with the Ashes safely back in English hands and with his own fine career - one that has probably been unfairly overshadowed by Ben Stokes' subsequent emergence - having ended on the perfect note.

Flintoff wasn't exactly ending on his own terms, his battered body was now calling the shots, but he was finishing as an Ashes winner again and that high-class spell of wholehearted fast bowling at Lord's only a few weeks earlier had given us one final taste of a magical cricketer who, when at his best, was an unstoppable force not even the mighty Australia could resist.

From the archives series

• Anderson again