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Brilliant Broad? What about 'amazing Aussies'?

Five incredible sessions produced by men in Baggy Green that rival the Nightmare in Nottingham

As if being bowled out for 60 wasn’t bad enough, England’s Ashes hero Stuart Broad this week said people had told him the opening session in the fourth Test at Nottingham was the best they had seen in 50 years.

Fifty years! While there’s little doubt that opening morning at Trent Bridge will take its place in history, we’ve selected five other classic sessions that will be much more palatable for the army of Baggy Green supporters out there.

And we didn’t need to go back half a century - just a decade.

5. Warner goes wild at the WACA
Last session, day one, 3rd Test v Ind, Jan 2012

WATCH: Warner's blistering WACA ton

It only took David Warner until his fifth Test match to blast a century in a session, and given it happened late in the day from Perth, a massive television audience Australia wide rode one hell of a wave with the pocket dynamo. This was a time when the jury was still out on whether the left-hander would cut it in Test cricket, though he’d gone some way to proving himself a few weeks earlier by carrying his bat on a difficult Hobart wicket against New Zealand. But his hundred in Perth was the sort of ruthlessly aggressive innings the fans had been hoping for. Bowled out for 161 after tea on day one, India were then battered all over the WACA, Warner creaming the equal-fourth fastest Test hundred of all time, from just 69 balls. At stumps, Australia were 0-149, Warner had 104 of them, and he’d go on to make it 180 the next day to completely demoralise the Indians.

4. Glenn McGrath, King of Lord’s
Last session, day one, 1st Test v Eng, Jul 2005

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A jubilant McGrath with father Kevin at Lord's // Getty Images

The McGrath legend had already haunted the corridors of Lord’s for eight years before the epic 2005 series, but he needed only 31 balls after tea on day one to produce one of the most devastating spells of fast bowling in the modern era. In that time he conceded just two runs, snared five top-order wickets and left England in a crumpled mess at 5-21. The first of those wickets, Marcus Trescothick, came with the opening delivery of the third session and was No.500 for the Australian legend. Andrew Strauss, Michael Vaughan, Ian Bell and Andrew Flintoff followed in quick succession and just like that, McGrath’s record at the Home of Cricket had soared to new heights and the tourists were in the box seat to make it one-nil in the series, which they did a couple of days later.

3. Hussey’s hundred heroics
First session, day two, 2nd Test v SA, Dec 2005

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Hussey salutes an appreciative MCG crowd // Getty Images

Australia were in trouble against a strong South African side on day one of the Boxing Day Test of ’05. They limped to stumps at 8-239, with Mike Hussey standing tall with 23 not out from 87 deliveries and representing the only real lifeline to a meaningful first-innings total. What happened on the morning of day two would have been beyond even Mr Cricket’s most ambitious plans. MacGill departed with the score at 248 and with Glenn McGrath strolling to the middle, South Africa appeared more than likely to mop up proceedings in a hurry. Slowly but surely, Hussey switched to one-day mode, gradually upping the ante as he pinched ones and twos on the wide expanses of the MCG and began carving out boundaries seemingly at will. Four times he went into the crowd, including consecutive massive blows of Andre Nel that set the crowd alight. With the left-hander showing increasing trust in McGrath (11 not out from 56 balls), the partnership grew, and when Hussey moved to 97, the No.11 blocked out an over as the crowd collectively chewed its fingernails. He reached three figures (for the third time in four Tests) then celebrated with a six off Nicky Boje. Lunch was called an over later, giving everyone a chance to catch their breath after one of the more astonishing sessions in recent Test history.

2. Pup pulls off an SCG miracle
Last session, day five, 2nd Test v Ind, Jan 2008

WATCH: Clarke's magic over

A delayed declaration by Ricky Ponting shortly before lunch on day five looked to have taken the spice out of this Border-Gavaskar contest, but history shows just how far off the mark that assumption was. Chasing 333 to win, India were never in the hunt, while 10 wickets looked beyond the Australians, particularly after VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar had made first-innings hundreds. The tourists made it to 3-79 at tea but it was all a precursor to one of the most dramatic final sessions in Test history. India lost seven wickets, some of them controversial, but more importantly, three of them to part-time tweaker Michael Clarke in what was scheduled to be the penultimate over of the day. Five long days had come down to five dramatic minutes at the death. The Australians went wild, the Indians cried foul, but the match was over, and Ponting’s side had equalled a world record 16 wins on the trot in truly unforgettable fashion.

1. Gilly’s 57-ball blitz
Last session, day three, 3rd Test v Eng, Dec 2006

WATCH: Spine-tingling mini-doco of Gilchrist's classic

A match that had hung in the balance after both teams had batted once swung wildly favour of Australia on a day three that will live long in the memory of all who those who were lucky enough to be at the WACA to witness it. By the time Adam Gilchrist came to the crease, the home side’s lead was approaching 400. But few players in history have had the capacity to rub salt into an open wound like the free-swinging left-hander from country New South Wales. Perhaps because he was on a pair, Gilchrist was relatively sedate for his first 50, taking 40 balls. Then he unleashed. With spinner Monty Panesar firmly in his sights, Gilchrist went ballistic, blasting his next 52 from just 17 balls to miss Viv Richards’ fastest Test hundred record by a single delivery. It mattered little – Australia promptly declared, won the match and the Ashes with it, and Gilchrist had added another chapter to one of the finest careers of them all.