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Anderson heroics helps England 'sneak home' in thriller
James Anderson took five wickets to inspire England to a nerve-wracking 14-run victory over Australia on a dramatic final day of the first Ashes Test at TrentBridge on Sunday.
- Ashes: England hold nerve to steal win, take 1-0 lead
"I'm delighted with the way things went," man-of-the-match Anderson said.
"We stayed calm even when they were getting closer and closer.
"I wasn't sure (if Haddin hit the ball) to be honest but Matt Prior and Cookie were convinced.
"I'm just delighted we could review it and sneak home... I'm lost for words, it's been an amazing five days."
It was perhaps inevitable that the final act of a gripping and enthralling match would be decided by the Decision Review System which has played such a significant role in the game.
England fell foul of it when Jonathan Trott was wrongly given out lbw after an operator failure in the Hot Spot system meant the third umpire was unable to see that he had hit the ball with his bat.
Australia were incensed when Stuart Broad refused to walk after edging the ball to slip but were unable to send the decision to the third umpire because they had used up all their referrals.
"The bottom line with the review system is that you do get more decisions right," Cook said.
'I need to get better with the reviews'
Australia captain Michael Clarke admitted that he must improve they way he uses the system.
"I need to get better," he said.
"Unfortunately if I had used my reviews better it would have helped our team."
No team had ever chased more than 300 to win a Test match at TrentBridge but Haddin and Agar, who resumed on 174 for six, batted comfortably for 55 minutes until Anderson removed Agar for 14.
Anderson struck again to dismiss Starc for one, also safely pouched by Cook.
The England skipper then dropped a routine catch off Peter Siddle but he soon made amends to Anderson with a superb diving catch to dismiss the Australian fast bowler for 11.
Anderson bowled 13 overs in a row from the Radcliffe Road end before being replaced by Steven Finn who conceded 15 runs off his first over.
'Our guys can hold their heads high'
The experienced Haddin reached his fifty off 115 balls, including seven fours, and Pattinson looked increasingly comfortable at the crease.
Australia needed 20 runs at the start of the afternoon session and they eked out another five before Anderson trapped Haddin to complete match figures of 10 for 158 and bowl Australia out for 296.
"Our guys can hold their heads high," Clarke said.
"It was a roller-coaster ride and there were things we could have done better but we will learn from them.
"We were full of confidence this morning and knew it was going to be a fight to the end. I don't think it will be difficult for us to bounce back."
"It was a wonderful game of cricket but credit to England, they fought well. The two best performers in the match were Ian Bell and Jimmy Anderson and England deserved the win.
"Ashton Agar played really well and is an amazing talent. He is a great kid, a smart mind and loves the game. He loves being around the Australian family and you will see a lot more of him," Clarke added.
The second Test starts on Thursday at Lord's in London.
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