The image capturing Kevin Pietersen completing a fine boundary catch as England inched closer to retaining the Ashes in 2010-11, was one that depicted a crowd of people united by one contest, by one catch, by one split second, writes Adam Hopkins.

A sea of faces caught in the moment, a whole range of emotions frozen in time. There’s something so quintessentially English about it all: the mood of the expectant masses soon to be decided by the outcome of one man’s fleeting interaction with a ball.

The thing that makes this picture extra special is that I was there. I’m not in the actual photo – I was about 15 metres to the left – but I can vividly remember the roar from the Barmy Army as Kevin Pietersen clung on to send Peter Siddle back to the pavilion and move England to within one wicket of retaining the Ashes.

For me, this photo’s appeal is augmented by the presence of a man in an England ODI top from the 2003 World Cup. That was the tournament that got me hooked on cricket and ultimately resulted in my life going in the direction that it has. I owe a lot to the UK and South Africa’s minimal time difference, and to my dad’s Sky Sports subscription.

Having been part of an 84,000-strong Boxing Day crowd that witnessed one of England’s best days in Ashes history, I had to be there to see the urn retained. After queuing up amongst a throng of excited English fans – there was barely an Australian to be seen – my entry to the ‘G was marked by a huge cheer. It wasn’t for my arrival, but rather Chris Tremlett castling Aussie pantomime villain Mitchell Johnson. Tremlett was huge for England on that tour and remains the largest person I’ve ever foolishly tried to squeeze through a door at the same time as.

Swanny’s Ashes Video Diary gave us insight into the England camp like we’d never seen before. There was a great novelty about seeing how the players could so easily switch from being normal blokes hanging around the team hotel to top-class international sportsmen. Watching Tim Bresnan struggle during a game of Call of Duty is the closest I’ll ever come to knowing what it feels like to be a Test cricketer. Je suis Brezy Lad.

A crowd of people united by one contest, by one catch, by one split second. By one photograph. It’s quite lovely, really.

First published in March 2017.