Giles: England were so close to being 'strung up'

Giles: "We were three runs away from being sent to the moon again." © Getty Images

Ashley Giles has insisted that the England team would have been "strung up" if they had lost the second Ashes Test at Edgbaston. England tied the five-match series at one apiece despite a last-wicket stand on the fourth day that took Australia to within three runs of victory.

Giles said England would have taken plenty of flak had they lost after reducing Australia to 175 for 8 on the third day, still needing 107 to win. "We'd have been strung up if Australia had won so we're just happy it ended this way," he wrote in his diary on the ECB website. "It's fine lines because we were three runs away from being sent to the moon again as well."

Giles, after a wicketless first Test, bounced back with five wickets at Edgbaston, and was looking forward to the third Test at Old Trafford, which starts on Thursday. "It was nice to get a few wickets again, I thought I bowled all right and got a few runs in the first innings," he wrote. "I did what I can do in many ways and in recent times that's how I've had my success, by chipping in with wickets and a few runs. That's what I'm about and I hope I showed that in this game."

Giles had been under tremendous pressure following his performance at Lord's and acknowledged the backing he received from his family. "I've had a tremendous amount of support from my wife Stine and the family and it was nice that they could be there, he wrote. "It's great because the stuff that goes around hurts them as much as it hurts me so I owe a lot to them."