Flintoff’s 2005 Ashes over the best Ponting has ever faced

Ricky Ponting has declared Andrew Flintoff's searing over in the second innings of the Edgbaston Test in the 2005 Ashes as the best he's ever faced.

Ponting faced the likes of Wasim Akram, Allan Donald, Waqar Younis, Courtney Walsh, Ambrose and Shoaib Akhter over a long and successful career and it took a really good over from Flintoff that day at Edgbaston to dismantle the Australian captain.

In a spell of lethal reverse swing, Flintoff removed Justin Langer and Ponting off the second and final deliveries of the 13th over, denting Australia early in their 282-run chase, a target they eventually fell short of by two runs.

Responding to a video posted by England Cricket from the 2005 series that documents Ponting's four-ball struggle in the over, Ponting commented: "Best over I ever faced. Class reverse swing at 90-odd mph!"

Ponting looked at sea while facing Flintoff. The first few deliveries jagged back sharply before one moved away. Ponting kept looking back at the wicket quite unsure of how it was behaving.

It was Flintoff's first-ever Ashes series and he had the Australians on the rope.

Flintoff took two more wickets in the innings, as Australia's famed line-up crumbled in the face of sustained pressure, falling short of the target despite a heroic lower-order resistance.

In what is deemed as one of the greatest Test series ever, Flintoff ended with 24 wickets in five Tests, the most by a fast bowler in the series.