On Wednesday, England and Australia will begin the current round of the Ashes in Brisbane, with the visitors hoping to reclaim the urn. A look back at five of the most memorable series between cricket’s most venerable foes, dating back to 1882.
2019: Stokes heroics, brilliant Smith
Despite the series being drawn for the first time since 1972, Australia kept the urn as holders, with Steve Smith generating headlines on his return from a ball-tampering suspension by excelling in front of jeering English audiences.
He batted at a different level than everyone else, hitting 774 runs at an average of more than 110 in just seven innings, including back-to-back hundreds in the first Test at Edgbaston. He may have been close to Donald Bradman’s all-time record of 974 runs in a Test series, established in 1930, if he hadn’t missed three innings after being hit by a Jofra Archer bouncer.
But England’s incredible Ben Stokes-inspired one-wicket victory in the third Test at Headingley was the series’ high point. With only one wicket remaining and 73 runs required to win, Stokes shielded tailender Jack Leach to guide his team to their most successful run chase in Tests, an unbroken 135.
2005: England win thriller
The 2005 Ashes series was one of the best in cricket history, with England winning for the first Test in over 19 years against their fiercest opponents.
When Australia won the first Test at Lord’s by 239 runs, it looked to be business as usual for England’s long-suffering fans. When Australia’s fast bowler Glenn McGrath was ruled out of the second Test at Edgbaston on the morning of the match after walking on a ball during practice, England grabbed command. England’s Andrew Flintoff shone with both bat and ball, and when Australia was 175-8 and needing 282 runs to win, a home triumph appeared to be a foregone conclusion.
However, Australia got closer when last man Michael Kasprowicz was caught behind by Steve Harmison, giving England a two-run triumph. The third Test was a tie, while England won the fourth Test at Trent Bridge despite a sensational four-wicket burst from leg-spin legend Shane Warne. England, at 2-1 ahead and needing to win the fifth Test to reclaim the Ashes, were on the verge of losing on the final day at the Oval until Kevin Pietersen’s 158 and Ashley Giles’ magnificent fifty saved a draw.
1981: Botham’s Ashes
Ian Botham did more than anybody else in 1981 to help England win the Ashes. Botham quit as England captain following the team’s failure in the first Test at Nottingham and the humiliation of losing two wickets in a draw at Lord’s.
After being forced to follow on in the third Test at Headingley, England were 500/1 outsiders to win the match, according to former England wicketkeeper Godfrey Evans, who had become cricket odds-setter for a bookmaker.
However, Australia were set a target of 130 after Botham’s incredible counter-attack performance of 149 not out, before England won by 18 runs thanks to fast bowler Bob Willis’ spectacular 8-43. England won the fourth Test by 29 runs thanks to Botham’s improbable five for one in 28 balls at Edgbaston. In the fifth Test, Botham’s scorching 118 helped England to a 103-run victory at Old Trafford, clinching the series.
1948: Australia’s ‘Invincibles’
In Don Bradman’s final Test series as captain, Australia swept all before them in an unbeaten trip that included a 4-0 Ashes victory. To emphasise their dominance, Australia was assigned a seemingly unachievable goal of 404 runs to win the fourth Test at Headingley on the last day.
Despite this, they only lost three wickets, with Arthur Morris scoring 182 and Bradman undefeated on 173. The series is most remembered for Bradman’s final Test innings at the Oval, when he was bowled for a duck by leg-spinner Eric Hollies, requiring four for an average of precisely a hundred, and had to make do with a score of 99.94.
1932/33: ‘Bodyline’
The most contentious Ashes series of all was prompted by a desire to limit Bradman’s incredible run-scoring ability. In response, England captain Douglas Jardine used ‘leg theory,’ bowling short to a crowded legside field, with extraordinarily accurate fast bowler Harold Larwood at the helm.
It worked to the point that England won the Ashes 4-1, lowering Bradman’s series average to 56.57. However, the adoption of ‘Bodyline,’ which required batters to protect themselves rather than their stumps, was deemed “unsporting” by Australian officials and nearly resulted in diplomatic relations breaking down.
