Australia’s 2005 tour entered uncharted territory on the evening of Saturday, June 18 in Cardiff. Amid extraordinary scenes, Bangladesh beat them in a one-day international at the ground that hosts this week’s first Ashes Test.

It was only Bangladesh’s fifth victory against a major nation and overturned massive odds, though this was not in itself enough to explain the seismic shock it inflicted on the Australians. The night before the game in Cardiff, several players went drinking late to celebrate Shane Watson’s birthday. Andrew Symonds embarked on a one-man pub crawl and was still drunk on the bus to the ground.

He vainly tried to take part in pre-match practice. Ricky Ponting, the captain, soon spotted him. “After four or five swings Symonds moved away and leant against a wheelie bin on the edge of the field,” Ponting wrote in his published dairy. “As he did so he fell over . . . I did not beat about the bush.” Symonds was dropped but a management cover-up failed. Ponting told television Symonds had flu, while reporters were informed he was unfit. The truth soon came out. And when the match was lost, Symonds was given the third degree in the dressing room.

“It was a horrible feeling,” wrote Adam Gilchrist, the vice-captain, in his autobiography, True Colours. “We knew all of England were laughing at us. We felt like a rabble. It wasn’t called a crisis meeting but that was what it was . . . It had more of a negative than a positive effect. Other players had been out with him, albeit not as late. A real awkwardness spread around the group.”

Gilchrist felt for Ponting, approaching his first Ashes series as captain. “He was still learning. He didn’t try to impose himself on the group or lay down the law, though I think in hindsight he probably wished he had.” The team were ageing, many had young families and some were keen to cash in. Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden brought out their wives and children for the entire tour, against the wishes of Cricket Australia. “Some players were doing commercially quite well and wanted to exploit the tour and it became something of a distraction,” John Buchanan, the coach at the time, said. “Being in separate accommodation made it difficult for them to feel part of the team. Around the bar at night, at breakfast in the morning, on the bus, this is when you find out what is being said, how people are feeling.”

Gilchrist’s semi-detached tour was a particular loss because he monitored some of the squad. Buchanan had also lost his assistant Tim Neilsen (now the head coach) who had been a smoking partner of Shane Warne, to whom Buchanan was not close. “I lost two of my ‘connectors’,” Buchanan said. “And I found I had removed myself too far from the team.”

Neither did all the Wags get on, leaving players with divided loyalties. The day after Cardiff, the Australians drove to Bristol for a one-day match, were caught in traffic and arrived late. The crowd heckled them. Once on the field, they were pulverised by England’s new recruit Kevin Pietersen.

Nine days after that, a spat between Simon Jones and Hayden in a one-dayer at Edgbaston reaffirmed that Michael Vaughan’s England were unwilling to tug the forelock. “We’d won five straight series and were ready to take on the big boys,” Jones said. “We knew there were going to be spats. The Aussies had been giving it all the banter and Vaughany wanted us to express ourselves.” Three weeks later, the Ashes began.

As England walked out, the atmosphere in the Long Room was febrile. “The members are normally quiet but when they saw us they just erupted,” Jones recalled. “We looked at each other as though to say, ‘This is it, lads. It’s got to be done’. Harmy started hitting them for fun.” In a late switch, Vaughan gave Steve Harmison rather than Matthew Hoggard the first over. Harmison was on target first ball, which whistled past Justin Langer’s nose. “Justin said that at that moment he could feel the England team all around him,” Buchanan said. The next ball crashed into Langer’s right arm. Harmison also hit Hayden and gashed Ponting’s cheek. Langer was upset at England’s indifference. “I said to their players, ‘This isn’t a war, this is a game’. You’ve still got to have the courtesy to say to the Australia captain, ‘Are you all right?’”

Jones explained: “It wasn’t deliberate. We were just focusing on the job.”

When Vaughan batted, Ponting gave him a verbal tirade but Vaughan snapped back: “You’re no Steve Waugh when it comes to sledging.”

Australia were dismissed before tea on the first day. England lost seven wickets, five to Glenn McGrath, in the last session. Both sides felt drained; Simon Katich was so tired he slept on the floor before batting a second time. Australia slowly built a big lead and England grassed several chances. Chasing 430, they capitulated after a good start but Australia’s victory was deceptively large. “England hit us so hard we didn’t know where to turn,” Ponting said.