The startling truth about this iconic Ashes photo: For two decades, it was a symbol of sportsmanship between England and Australia. The reality is VERY different

It's the photo that has become synonymous with good sportsmanship: England hero Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff bends down and touches Aussie star Brett Lee's shoulder to console him after his side's crushing, last-over loss in the second Test of the 2005 Ashes.

Except that's not what happened at all. 

To get to grips with why the photo still resonates with sports fans two decades later, you have to go back and understand why the series was so hard-fought - and why it became the making of Flintoff as one of the game's true greats.

Edgbaston marked Flintoff's 49th Test, yet it was only his second Ashes appearance after he starred in the first clash at Lord's that year.

At 28, he was supposed to be peaking, but his career returns – a batting average of 32 and a bowling average of 33 – painted him as solid rather than intimidating.

Like many Englishmen before him, he had carried the burden of being labelled the 'next Ian Botham' without truly delivering.

Australia had seen little of him in red-ball cricket after he missed the 2002–03 series, and his one-day record against them had been modest, meaning there was little expectation or fear from the tourists.

In fact, his struggles with the bat at Lord's seemed only to reinforce Australian assumptions that he was unlikely to be a decisive figure. How wrong they were. 

The build-up to the 2005 Ashes Test at Edgbaston was fuelled by the shockwaves from the series opener at Lord's, where Australia dominated England on the way to victory and Aussie quick Glenn McGrath proved unplayable.

England's hopes of levelling the series received a major boost on the eve of the second Test, however, when McGrath stepped on a stray cricket ball during a warm-up, suffering an ankle injury that ruled him out for the rest of the Ashes.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. The Aussies were chucking a footy around, laughing and joking – at first they even thought McGrath was pulling their leg.

He was not. The pace weapon had suffered a grade-two tear of his lateral ankle ligaments. He was spitting chips, because the Aussies had made a rare change and McGrath hated straying from what worked.

'Routines are very important to cricketers, routines are very important to me, but we changed our routine before that game,' McGrath said.

'I normally get out just in time for the warm-up to start, then off you go. On this day, our coach John Buchanan decided to leave half an hour earlier than we would normally do. 

'When we got out ready to go, there was still half an hour before the warm-up started.

'We had a look at the pitch and were standing around chatting. [Wicketkeeper] Brad Haddin picked up a rugby league ball and we were passing it back and forth. 

'He rates himself, but threw a rubbish pass that bounced halfway and rolled along the ground.

'I turned to pick the ball up, but what I hadn't seen were the cricket balls that had been put out for when we did start the warm-up. 

'My first step was on the ball. I still don't remember seeing it, but I remember feeling it. To think if we'd just stuck to the normal routine.'

His absence was seen as a major turning point, handing England a crucial psychological lift before a ball was bowled.

There was also controversy around Australia's selection decisions, with Jason Gillespie's poor form raising doubts and Michael Kasprowicz recalled as cover for McGrath.

England, meanwhile, backed their aggressive 'all-out attack' strategy under captain Michael Vaughan and coach Duncan Fletcher, determined not to retreat despite the Lord's defeat.

The Birmingham crowd added to the atmosphere, with Edgbaston long known for its loud and partisan support, and anticipation for a fierce contest was at fever pitch.

Controversy flared over Shane Warne's constant on-field chatter and attempts to unsettle England's younger players, which had already drawn criticism earlier in the series.

There was also debate in the press about whether England's pace battery of Flintoff, Harmison, Hoggard and Jones could maintain intensity without breaking down.

Pundits were divided, with some predicting Australia's ruthless experience would again overwhelm England, while others sensed McGrath's injury had cracked the door open.

By the morning of the Edgbaston Test, the stage was set for one of cricket's most dramatic matches, with expectation, rivalry and controversy all hanging thick in the air.

The match exploded into life when England, sent in to bat, counterattacked from the start, with Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss laying the platform.

Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff thrilled the crowd with fearless strokeplay, pushing England to a rapid first-innings total of 407 on the opening day.

Australia's reply faltered, as England's seamers struck early blows before Shane Warne's defiance and some tail-end resistance kept them in touch.

England built on their lead with another aggressive batting display in the second innings, but Warne starred with the ball, taking 6/46 to keep the target within reach.

Flintoff was exceptional, scoring quickly and hammering Brett Lee's bowling. He finished on 73, with no other England star able to score more than 21 runs. 

Flintoff then cemented his name in Test cricket folklore with one of the most vicious, unplayable and brilliant overs in history as Australia tried to swing the momentum back to them while chasing 282 for the victory.

Bowling with raw pace and intensity, he first removed Justin Langer with a delivery that nipped away and kissed the edge. 

Two balls later, he thundered in again and trapped Ricky Ponting with a searing in-swinger that crashed into his pads, but the jittery Aussie survived the appeal.

The Edgbaston crowd erupted, sensing the match might be swinging decisively in England's favour. When Ponting feathered the final ball of the over to the wicketkeeper, the fans knew it.

'They were five of the most vicious deliveries you could ever see,' Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist recalled.

'And then Ricky was somehow good enough to get his bat on the last ball to nick it to Geraint Jones. 

'Flintoff stood there like Hercules and his teammates mobbed him. I remember, in the rooms, watching and thinking, "We are in big strife".'

Ponting knew he had been beaten all ends up.

'The best over I ever faced,' Ponting said later. 

England came into day four needing just two wickets to take the contest, while Australia needed 107 runs. 

What they didn't anticipate was one of the most courageous and dramatic rearguard fightbacks the sport had ever seen. 

A 45-run stand between Warne and Lee briefly unsettled the home side's nerves, before Warne accidentally trod on his stumps to ease the tension. 

Australia's tailenders Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz then dug in and mounted a desperate and defiant stand that inched them ever closer to a stunning upset. 

The pair began scoring freely, dragging Australia to within touching distance of an improbable victory.

The pressure spiked when Simon Jones dropped a difficult chance at third man, and suddenly the target slipped into single figures with cricket fans from both nations on edge.

With four needed, Lee cracked Harmison through the covers only for England's sweeper to restrict him to a single, prolonging the agony. 

Two balls later, Kasprowicz gloved a short delivery down the leg side, and Geraint Jones clung on to seal one of cricket's most dramatic finishes. 

England had won by just two runs, the narrowest Ashes victory in history, levelling the series at one-all.

The match is remembered as one of cricket's greatest Tests, marking the true beginning of England's push to reclaim the Ashes after 16 years of suffering.

Just after the final ball, Flintoff knelt beside Lee, shaking his hand and offering words of respect rather than celebration, a gesture that transcended the rivalry.

The moment captured the spirit of sportsmanship and was instantly hailed as a defining image of the 2005 Ashes.

Lee had battled through pain after being struck by hostile bowling, refusing to give up as he nearly carried Australia all the way to victory.

Flintoff's act was praised worldwide, with fans assuming he was showing empathy for a beaten opponent despite the euphoria coursing through him and his teammates.

The handshake came to symbolise a new level of mutual respect between the two sides during one of the fiercest Ashes series ever.

Photographs of the moment were splashed across newspapers and became one of the most enduring images in modern cricket.

However, Flintoff was actually delivering a private sledge for the ages, according to former England captain Michael Atherton – and Lee himself. 

As 'Freddie' crouched beside the devastated Lee, he delivered the cheeky line: 'That's one-all, you Aussie bastard.' 

Lee said of the quip, 'That might have been thrown in there.

'He's just a guy that has just given his all, who's been great for world cricket, and his sportsmanship is just second to none.

'He's an absolute beauty.'

Despite the loss, Lee rates that infamous Test as the best match he played in a long and glittering career.

'He's that lovable character. Not real lovable though when he's bowling 95 miles an hour at your ribs, I can testify to that,' he said.

'Probably one of the most special moments in my career was that 2005 Ashes series and certainly that epic battle that we had at Edgbaston.

'Even though we lost, I'd still put that down as one of my favourite games, purely the way it was played and the sportsmanship that was on show.'