Miller time in '82

Geoff Miller was on hand to claim a famous catch

We can all remember where we were during England’s historic Ashes win over Australia in 2005 but many may have trouble placing themselves in December 1982 when Geoff Miller clung on to a ricocheted catch at slip to send England into delirium in Melbourne.

England and Australia have battled for bragging rights since 1877 and as the Boxing Day Test commenced in 1982 England were 2-0 down in the series and grasping for inspiration from any direction.

The tour had started on the back of England’s Ian Botham inspired 3-1 series win, at home in 1981, and the Aussies were keen for retribution.

In one of the tightest Test matches in history - where all four innings were completed within 10 runs of each other - the tourists must have thought they had the game within their grasp when they resumed the final day needing just one more wicket to secure victory.

Allan Border had marshalled Australia to the brink of victory

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Australia’s last-wicket pair of Allan Border and Jeff Thomson had already put on 37 but they needed another 38 to secure an unlikely victory.

Thomson was not know for his batting but he was an obdurate partner for left-handed Border and the pair inched their side towards victory as Border carefully managed to keep Thomson away from as much of the strike as possible.

The pair turned down 29 opportunities to take singles, so as to protect Thomson from the strike, but 70 runs had still been added as Border latched on to any ball he thought he could strike to the boundary, or at least hit for two.

For 84 strength-sapping minutes Border and Thomson edged their side nearer and nearer in front of 18,000 enraptured spectators but with only four runs needed for victory Miller clasped onto a rebound from Chris Tavare at slip and victory was England’s, as the golden-arm of Botham did the trick.

But, in the irony of ironies, Australia’s channel nine TV network were taking a commercial break and missed the moment of magic, choosing to extol the virtues of spanners instead.

When full televisual coverage was resumed the Australian public could not be saved from the stark realities of defeat any longer, as Miller’s catch was shown, and a famous victory verified, in the 250th contest between the sides.