England beat Australia by just two runs to win the second Ashes Test on the fourth day at Edgbaston here on Sunday. England's victory, the closest in Ashes history, was achieved with more than a day to spare, and saw them level the five-Test series at 1-1 after their 239-run defeat at Lord's last month.
Australia resumed Sunday on 175 for eight, still needing a further 107 runs to win. But their last two wickets added 104 to take them within sight of a famous victory.
Brett Lee, who top scored with 43 not out, almost saw Australia home after stands of 56 for the ninth wicket with Shane Warne (42) and 59 for the tenth with Michael Kasprowicz 20.
England, who had dominated most of a game they so nearly lost, won through when Kasprowicz gloved a Harmison delivery down the legside and was caught by by wicket-keeper Geraint Jones.
Earlier Warne and Brett Lee launched a superb rearguard action lasting 56 balls with both batsmen scoring well-struck boundaries.
But after Warne trod on his stumps against all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, Australia still needed 62 runs to win.
Then Simon Jones at third man dropped last man Kasprowicz on 18 off Flintoff with 15 runs needed. Shane Warne was 20 not out and Lee yet to face when play began Sunday after Michael Clarke had his stumps knocked over by fast bowler Stephen Harmison off the last ball of Saturday's play.
Both Warne and Lee gave England several anxious moments with some well-struck boundaries before Warne, walking across his stumps on 42, trod on his own wicket with his back foot while facing man-of-the-match Flintoff. The Lancashire all-rounder, who took four for 79, produced a magnificent display that was vital to England's first Test victory against Australia with the Ashes still up for grabs since their win at Edgbaston eight years ago in the 1997 series opener.
After scoring 68 in England's first innings 407 and then taking three for 52 in Australia's reply of 308, Flintoff starred in dramatic style with both bat and ball on Saturday.
First he struck a whirlwind 73 off just 86 balls with four sixes (he hit nine in the match) and six fours in a total of 182 where no other batsman scored more than 21 although Simon Jones (12 not out) played his part in a valuable last-wicket stand of 51 in just 49 balls.
Flintoff's Saturday display was all the more impressive given he'd injured his left shoulder early in his innings when on seven after following through with a square cut off Shane Warne.
And still far from fully fit, he bowled Justin Langer with his second ball of the day.
Then five deliveries later the Lancashire paceman had Australia captain Ricky Ponting caught behind for nought off a fast leg-cutter.
The day featured several high quality performances from players on both sides, including Warne's six for 46 that left the leg-spinner just one short of becoming the first bowler to take 600 Test wickets.
Australia, winners of the last eight Ashes series, suffered a major blow before this match started when they lost leading fast bowler Glenn McGrath, who took nine for 82 at Lord's, during the warm-up before play on the first day Thursday after he trod on a cricket ball on the outfield and tore ligaments in his right ankle.
Nevertheless, Ponting chose to field first after winning the toss.
McGrath is unlikely to be fit for the third Ashes Test which starts at Flintoff's Old Trafford home ground on Thursday.

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ENGLAND (1st Innings): 407
(M Trescothick 90, K Pietersen 71,
A Flintoff 68; S Warne 4-116,
M Kasprowicz 3-80):
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AUSTRALIA (1st Innings): 308 (J Langer 82,
R Ponting 61;A Flintoff 3-52, A Giles 3-78):
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ENGLAND (2nd Innings): 182 (A Flintoff 73;
S Warne 6-46, B Lee 4-82);
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AUSTRALIA (2nd Innings - overnight: 175-8):
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J. Langer b Flintoff                      28
M. Hayden c Trescothick b S Jones         31
R. Ponting c G Jones b Flintoff            0
D. Martyn c Bell b Hoggard                28
M. Clarke b Harmison                      30
S. Katich c Trescothick b Giles           16
A. Gilchrist c Flintoff b Giles            1
J. Gillespie lbw b Flintoff                0
S. Warne hit wkt b Flintoff               42
B. Lee not out                            43
M. Kasprowicz c G Jones b Harmison        20
EXTRAS: (B-13, LB-8, W-1, NB-18)          40
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TOTAL: (all out, 64.3 overs, 309 mins)   279
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FALL OF WICKETS: 1-47, 2-48, 3-82, 4-107, 5-134, 6-136, 7-137, 8-175, 9-220.
BOWLING: Harmison 17.3-62-2 (1nb, 1w); Hoggard 5-0-26-1; Giles 15-3-68-2; Flintoff 22-3-79-4 (13nb); S Jones 5-1-23-1
England: Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Michael Vaughan (capt), Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff, Geraint Jones (wkt), Ashley Giles, Matthew Hoggard, Stephen Harmison, Simon Jones
TOSS: Australia.
RESULT: England won by 2 runs
SERIES: Five-Test series level at 1-1
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Andrew Flintoff
UMPIRES: Rudi Koertzen (RSA), Billy Bowden (NZL)
TV UMPIRE: Jeremy Lloyds (ENG)
MATCH REFEREE: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)
Remaining fixtures:
Third Test, Old Trafford, August 11-15
Fourth Test, Trent Bridge, August 25-29
Fifth Test, The Oval, September 08-12