2013 Ashes Preview
England and Australia’s storied rivalry prepares for a new chapter to be written as two sides meet with the hope of walking away with the biggest prize in cricket.
The 2013 Ashes series in England will be followed almost immediately by the 2013-14 series in Australia, a scenario that means the defeated team get an immediate opportunity for revenge. Losing will still be a bitter blow for the side on the receiving end, and the seasonal wait between series’ will feel like an eternity for whichever side has to watch the other have to hoist the Ashes high above their heads.
As usual with a series between England and Australia, the build-up has been filled with discussions about team selection, sound-bites displaying fierce gamesmanship and predictions about who will ultimately claim the prized urn.
To build anticipation for the series, here’s a look back at the outcome of the last six Ashes series...
The 2013 Ashes series in England will be followed almost immediately by the 2013-14 series in Australia, a scenario that means the defeated team get an immediate opportunity for revenge. Losing will still be a bitter blow for the side on the receiving end, and the seasonal wait between series’ will feel like an eternity for whichever side has to watch the other have to hoist the Ashes high above their heads.
As usual with a series between England and Australia, the build-up has been filled with discussions about team selection, sound-bites displaying fierce gamesmanship and predictions about who will ultimately claim the prized urn.
To build anticipation for the series, here’s a look back at the outcome of the last six Ashes series...
(*Denotes Home Team)
2001 (*England 1 – 4 Australia)
Having lost 3-1 in Australia the previous winter, England looked to take solace in home advantage as they sought to give a fitting farewell to outgoing captain Mike Atherton.
It didn't bode well after the first test however as England were dismissed for 294 in their first innings before Australia scored a whopping 576 on a track perfect for batting. Steve Waugh, Damien Martyn and Adam Gilchrist all scored 100s with the wicket-keeper going on to score an impressive 152 in just 143 balls.
In their second innings reply England scored only 164 runs despite being 142-2, and this meant that they were beaten embarrassingly by an innings and 118 runs. The second Test at the Oval also went Australia’s way as England’s batting continued to fail them. Several players got good starts, but not a single player came close to a half century as Australia took full advantage. Despite losing a wicket inside the second over, Mark Waugh scored 108 as the Aussies posted a total of 401. Unlike in the first test, England did manage to force Australia to bat again, but with the home team scoring 227 runs in the second innings, it meant that the tourists only needed to score 14 runs to win. They managed to reach their target in just seventeen minutes as England’s hopes of regaining the Ashes rapidly faded.
The third test at Trent Bridge was pivotal as an Australian victory meant that the Ashes would be returning down under, and once again it became clear that the tourists were much the better team than their hosts. Choosing to bat first the Three Lions were skittled out for 185 despite a half century from Marcus Trescothick, and although they had their opponents at 122-8, Adam Gilchrist blasted ten fours during his innings and scored 54. All out for 190, England needed to take advantage of the Aussies collapse, but Shane Warne had other ideas as he took 6-33 allowing England score only a measly 162 runs. Australia hit their target of 158 losing only three wickets and continuing their successive streak of victories over England.
In the fourth test, England managed to gain some pride with a six wicket victory at Headingley, but at the Oval in the final test, Australia re-asserted their domination by securing their second innings victory of the tour, running through the English top order and then forcing their hosts to follow on and still fall 25 runs short of forcing the tourists to bat again.
2002-03 (*Australia 4 – 1 England)
England travelled to Australia for the first test in November 2002 looking to bounce back from a rather comprehensive defeat in England eighteen months before. England elected to field after winning the toss in the first test, but Australia were able to take advantage of some sloppy England fielding which allowed Matthew Hayden (197) and Ricky Ponting (123) to help the home side to a score of 492.
In reply, England made 325 putting Australia in a strong position to close out the match, and on the following warm Brisbane day, Baggy Green hit 296 before deciding to declare and forcing England to chase an almost insurmountable target of 464. Unsurprisingly the tourists fell well short of the required score being bowled out for just 79 runs and losing by 384 runs.
The second test started more positively for England as they made several changes and put together a respectable total of 342. On a good batting pitch at the Adelaide Oval, the Aussies were soon in command thanks to Ricky Ponting’s 154 which allowed them to declare on 552. Despite play on day four being reduced, Australia were helped by some excellent bowling from Shane Warne (3-36) and Glenn McGrath (4-41) as England were bowled out for 159 and suffered yet another embarrassing innings defeat.
Once again Australia were in a commanding position and at the WACA in Perth they caused England yet more Ashes pain bowling England out for less than 200 before posting a total of 456. With the Three Lions hoping to show some second innings resilience their resistance was halted at 223 leaving them short by an innings and 48 runs
The fourth test in Melbourne was another runaway Australia victory to put England in danger of losing a 5-0 whitewash after a five wicket defeat, but in the final test, the Three Lions picked up a victory by 225 runs having demonstrated some fantastic batting with the top order finally getting some runs on the board setting up a victory in Sydney. Regardless of their feel-good victory as 2002 turned into 2003, it was eighth time in succession that the Australians had celebrated with the urn, something England sought about changing eighteen months later.
2005 (*England 2 – 1 Australia)
Widely regarded as the greatest Ashes series of all-time, the 2005 series looked to be a foregone conclusion as England looked to end Australian dominance and score a first series victory since 1987. Having won the previous two Ashes series in the first three tests, the Aussies looked virtually invincible, but England were confident that they could regain the famous little urn having won 14 out of their 18 test matches heading into the series.
The tourists won the opening test thanks to some fantastic bowling from Glenn McGrath who took 5-53 and 4-29 in his two spells during the match held at Lord’s. Australia’s batting was led by Michael Clarke who hit 91 in the second innings meaning England had to score 420 to win, they fell well short of the target as the match ended on day four with the Three Lions out for just 180.
Refusing to be deflated and looking to fight back in the second test at Edgbaston, both sides were to be involved in what many regard as the greatest Ashes test of all-time. On this occasion England were victorious as they scraped to a narrow two-run victory thanks to Andrew Flintoff who bowled out Brett Lee just as it seemed Australia had done enough to win. Roared on by a vociferous crowd during the third test it seemed as if England had snatched the momentum and similar circumstances unfolded at Old Trafford. Having put themselves in a good position, England were thwarted in their bid to earn back to back victories as most of the fourth day was lost to the weather and the match was drawn. There were to be no heroics this time as the home side were left needing to remove the wicket of either Brett Lee of Glenn McGrath but failed to do so before the close of play meaning that the series was still tied at 1-1.
England chose to bat first in the fourth test at Trent Bridge and looked to be in command thanks to some magnificent batting from Flintoff who hit 102. Simon Jones took a five-fer as the Australian’s were bowled out for 218 chasing England’s 477, so England enforced the follow-on and left themselves with 129 runs to win following another good bowling performance from Steve Harmison who took three wickets. Despite the ease at which they thought they might achieve victory, it turned out to be rather closer than anticipated in the end as England lost four wickets for 57 runs before Flintoff and Pietersen steadied the ship allowing Ashley Giles and Matthew Hoggard to give England a three wicket victory.
As the final test approached, England knew that a draw would be good enough for them to win the Ashes and end sixteen years of Australian dominance. England once again batted first and were boosted by Andrew Strauss scoring 129 runs in their first innings. The tourists replied with a high score of their own and just at just six runs behind England’s total they hoped that the wicket would become a touch unpredictable and help turn the match in their favour. Sadly for the Australians it wasn't to be, as Kevin Pietersen made his mark in second innings with 158 leaving Australia 342 runs to win.
England were prepared to thwart their opponents, but bad light allowed Australia to play for just four balls before the umpires removed the bails and ended the series with a draw meaning that England won back the Ashes.
2006-07 (*Australia 5 – 0 England)
Tremendous success in the 2005 Ashes series only hyped up the anticipation for the return to Australia with the home side still reeling from a narrow yet painful defeat in England.
The narrative was not only about revenge for Baggy Green but also due to impending retirement of so many players who had served them magnificently throughout the years, it was an opportunity to reflect on several fantastic careers. The only fitting result would be a win, earning back the Ashes and returning their psychological edge which had disappeared in their most recent visit to England.
The first bowl of the first test gave an indication of how tough this series would be Down Under for the tourists as Steve Harmison bowled a now infamous wide which went straight to captain Andrew Flintoff at second slip. Such a bad start for England pleased the Brisbane Cricket Ground, and they were even more delighted as the Aussies posted a huge score of 602 in their first innings.
Without the batting of Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick – both of whom were missing the tour for different reasons – England collapsed to 157 with only Ian Bell making a mark having scored 50 for the tourists.
Australia chose to bat again to force the pressure onto their opponents and after a quick fire century from Justin Langer and some good assistance from Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting, England were left chasing a massive 648 to win. They battled bravely but could only manage 370 as Warne and Clark took four wickets each to give Australia a great start in their bid to regain the Ashes with a 277-run win.
In the second test, England chose to bat first and it seemed to be a wise decision as Paul Collingwood hit 206 of England’s 551 declared. Kevin Pietersen also hit an impressive 158, but as he had done so often in the past Ricky Ponting stepped up with a huge hundred as did Michael Clark leaving Australia just short of England’s target.
Despite a lead of 38, England’s hopes of victory took a massive hit as Shane Warne tore through the middle order and allowed the tourists to score only 129 in their second innings. It was then left for the Australians to score just 168 to win, which they did with six wickets in hand and in doing so gained a stranglehold on the Ashes.
Australia won the third test toss as they looked to put themselves into an unassailable lead, but being bowled out for just 244 looked to open the door for England to fight back. Some excellent bowling by Monty Panesar (5-92) and a rejuvenated Steve Harmison (4-48) was not capitalised on by the batsmen as England were only able to post a score of 215 in reply.
Australia’s second innings was much more what the WACA crowd expected as Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey all hit centuries as Australia declared on 527 putting the initiative back in their favour. Knowing that they would have to reach a target of 557 or survive for the remaining two days, England lost Strauss cheaply and ended Day Three on 19 for 1 leaving themselves a huge task to complete. Despite some patient and effective batting from Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, there was little resistance from England’s other batsmen as Australia bowled the tourists out or 350 to secure the Ashes and win by 206 runs.
With the fate of the urn already decided, England had only their pride to gain in the final two tests, but it didn't start well on Day One of the fourth as they were bowled out for 159. Shane Warne again tormented England with figures of 5-39 before Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds put Australia in total command thanks to their scores of 153 and 156 respectively. Returning to the crease England were rattled by Brett Lee who took four wickets including Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood leaving the Three Lions stuttering to 161 and going down to an Innings and 99 run defeat.
Aiming to avoid the ultimate humiliation England headed to an emotional Sydney Cricket Ground which was preparing to say goodbye to Australian heroes Shane Warne, Justin Langer, Damien Martin and Glenn McGrath. Fittingly two of the players bidding farewell to the game helped Australia to bowl England out for 291 before scoring 393 with the bat themselves. Andrew Flintoff’s men had been totally embarrassed by the nature of several of the defeats on their latest visit to Australia, but it wasn't to get much better for the under pressure England captain as his side were out for 147 leaving Australia a target of just 46 to complete the first Ashes whitewash since 1920-21.
2009 (*England 2 – 1 Australia)
Torn apart by the nature of their humiliation in Australia, England returned to Ashes play with a much changed squad in a bid to recapture the urn that they had won on home soil the last time Baggy Green toured.
England won the toss before the opening test series at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff and with some solid batting from the whole order; they posted a score of 435. It appeared that Australia would once again be asserting their will on England after scoring 674 in their first innings before declaring. Huge contributions from Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting, Brad Haddin and Marcus North gave England a mountain to claim to avoid losing the First test, but when the weather reduced the number of overs set to be played on day three and day four, England sensed a chance of claiming a draw. Things hung in the balance as the home team lost three wickets in ninety minutes of play and were at 102-5 at lunch on day five. Paul Collingwood played resolutely however as he lasted for five hours and 43 minutes before being caught out and leaving the last man partnership of James Anderson and Monty Panesar to protect their wicket. The tail-enders successfully achieved their goal and secured a draw in the opening test.
Lord’s had been a happy hunting ground for Australia in previous Ashes tests, and having fought resolutely in a bid to win the First Test, Baggy Green were confident heading into the Second. Andrew Strauss hit 161 to make the Aussies task more difficult as England scored a total of 425 in their first innings. Jimmy Anderson had played a huge role in the first test as England clawed back to draw, but his attacking bowling put his team in a position to go one better on this occasion as he took 4-55 as Australia posted a total of 215. Sensing they could win the test despite some bad light and poor weather causing problems days two and three, England went back into bat and decided to declare on 311, setting Australia a target of 522 to win. Despite a 136 from Michael Clarke, Australia could do little to stop a rampant Andrew Flintoff who claimed his first five-wicket haul at Lords helping England to secure a first Ashes Test victory at Lord’s since 1934.
Finding themselves behind, Australia looked to take the initiative on day one of the Third Test at Edgbaston. Rain delayed the start of play, but Shane Watson helped himself to a 50 once play began, before Jimmy Anderson’s bowling once again proved difficult to bat against. With the tourists scoring 263, England’s efforts were hampered by bad light on day two, and the game suffered further when play was totally washed out the following day as a frenetic finish looked possible if the weather relented. Eventually England took to the crease and it was Flintoff who took the initiative with 74 in a 376 effort. With Australia slightly behind an expectant crowd hoped that England could pull off a miraculous victory but given the time constraints and despite getting Ponting and Katich out to put Australia at 52-2, Michael Clarke hit an unbeaten 103 to rescue Australia and leave the score still 1-0 to England after another weather affected draw.
Australia had, had little go their way in England since the 2005 Ashes series, but as the fourth test began on Day One, it appeared that the hosts might well be in danger of losing their grip on the series. England chose to bat first, but after one over they were already a wicket down as Andrew Strauss was caught out for just three runs. After just less than 20 overs England were four down and soon their innings had collapsed to a catastrophic 102 all-out.
The tourists looked to take advantage, and Marcus North led the fight scoring 110 in Australia’s innings which totalled 445 runs.
England returned to the crease determined to make inroads into the Aussies score but just as Peter Siddle had done in the first innings, Mitchell Johnson ripped through home side’s batsmen securing a five wicket haul and more importantly tying up the Ashes at 1-1 after an innings and 80 run win.
Thanks to their victory in the previous Ashes series, Australia knew that they would retain the famous urn if anything but an England victory unfolded in the fifth and final test. A ten-day break between the fourth and fifth tests had many panicking about the batting performance England has displayed at Headingley. England’s Andrew Strauss, undeterred by the way his team had let the lead slip, chose to bat first on Day One and after the England captain scored a half century, Ian Bell’s fifty plus a 41 from Jonathan Trott gave England a score of 322. Confident of retaining the Ashes, Australia came to the crease looking to play aggressively but despite a half century from Simon Katich, England bowlers Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad took the majority of the wickets as Australia only managed a total of 160 in reply. Sensing that the game was most probably theirs to lose, England batted sensibly in their second innings, scoring a timely 373 before declaring 546 runs ahead. Knowing that they needed to begin will, the tourists started their second innings 80/0 and looking in a strong position to retain the urn but their victory looked in doubt following the loss of two quick wickets. Ponting and Hussey worked together in partnership to steady their team but a great piece of fielding from Flintoff to remove the Australian captain set England on their way. With time rapidly running out in the match Graeme Swann took the wickets of North and Haddin to put his team on the brink, and when the England spinner was finally able to remove Hussey the tourists resistance ended as England won the match by 197 runs and won back the Ashes after a closely fought series.
2010-11 (*Australia 1 – 3 England)
Ashes victories had been a rarity for England in Australia, but having won two out of the last three, the tourists were confident that they could travel Down Under and perhaps beat their old rivals in their backyard for the first time since 1986-87. Still haunted by the memory of their 5-0 whitewash on their last trip to Australia, England prepared for the Ashes by beating their hosts in the final of the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Championship, but they knew it would be a very different task to retain the Ashes away from home.
The Gabba played host to First Test, but for once the Australian weather caused a few problems as Days One, Two and Four all had their play affected by rain. When both sides were eventually able to take the field, England elected to bat and after a 76 from Ian Bell, the hosts were set a target of 260 by their visitors.
The Australians got a massive 195 from Michael Hussey, and his haul was added to by a 136 from Brad Haddin which left England with a mountain to climb in their second innings. Baggy Green were in the end thwarted not only by the weather, but also some fantastic batting from England’s first three batsmen. Andrew Strauss got things started with 110, and the captain’s efforts were only bettered by Jonathan Trott who scored 135, and an amazing 235 from Alastair Cook who gave England a chance of victory. Making a brave decision to declare and allow Australia some batting time, the match ended in a stalemate as the tourists couldn't take the required wickets to win, and Australia lost only one wicket in their chase for 297 runs.
The second test saw yet another amazing feat of batting as England were set 245 runs by Australia who elected to bat first. Despite losing Andrew Strauss for just one run, Alastair Cook scored 148 before being caught out, but there wasn't to be too much despair for England as Kevin Pietersen came in and scored 227 before his team decided to declare on 620.
The Australians had been on the positive side of some very heavy defeats in past Ashes series, but the bowling of Graeme Swann assured that the hosts would be on the wrong side of a loss on this occasion as he took five wickets to leave Australia 71 runs short of forcing England to bowl and meaning that they suffered an innings defeat and had to rebuild after a morale sapping defeat.
Determined to make up for a surprising loss, Australia selected to bat first on Day One of the Third Test. The team made four changes, but looked to be heading for yet another struggle after being reduced to 69 for 5. The lower-middle order rescued Baggy Green as Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson all scored half-centuries before the home side were eventually bowled out for 268 runs.
On the Second Day of play, England reached 78 without loss before suffering a collapse thanks to the bowling of Mitchell Johnson who took 6 for 38 in a devastating spell. Cook, Pietersen and Trott were all lost cheaply leaving England still 81 runs behind their opponents. In their second innings, Australia posted a score of 309 as Hussey hit 116 to set England a target of 391 runs for victory. Despite the seeming achievability of this target the tourists quickly collapsed to 81 for 5 as Johnson picked up two more wickets. On Day Four, the remaining England batsmen were quickly bowled out within ten overs as Ryan Harris took 6 for 47 as the Australians bowled their opponents out for 123 and led to an England loss by 267 runs.
With the series level at one game each, the Ashes was poised for a fantastic finish with two games left. The traditional Boxing Day Test proved to be pivotal for both sides as England won the toss and elected to field knowing that a win in the fourth test would be enough for them to retain the Ashes.
Questions were posed of the England selectors before the match as series’ leading wicket-taker Steve Finn was rested by England and replaced by Tim Bresnan. The decision proved to be vindicated as incredibly Australia were bowled out before tea on the opening day for a score of just 98, their lowest Ashes total at the MCG. All ten dismissals were catches behind the stumps with Anderson and Tremlett taking four apiece and Bresnan securing the remaining two.
In reply, England’s openers advanced to 157 before the end of the first day, before falling early on day two. They were assisted by an unbeaten 168 from Jonathan Trott which gave the Three Lions a huge lead after scoring 513 runs in total. Australia returned to the crease with a mountain to climb as their situation remained worse than at Adelaide in the previous test as they needed to make 415 runs just to have England bat again. As Australia’s innings began, it was clear that this uphill battle was far too much for them, and consistent bowling from Bresnan and Swann meant that Baggy Green could only reach 258 and fell to yet another crushing defeat. Their loss by an innings and 157 runs meant that England reclaimed the Ashes, and also saw Australia lose two tests in a home series by innings’ defeats.
Despite hoping to at least secure a draw in the Ashes even if they could not regain the urn, there was to be little joy for Australia despite them winning the toss and electing to bat first in the fifth and final test. Rain reduced play on Day One but the home side still struggled to register a notable score on the board. None of the top order batsmen reached a half century, but despite being 189/8 they had Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus to thank for eventually finishing on 280 all-out. England’s batters began positively with Strauss scoring a quickfire fifty before being removed, but thankfully Alastair Cook once again demonstrated his batting prowess with a score of 189. Ian Bell and Matt Prior also hit centuries as England reached 644 before being bowled out in the middle of Day Three. Once again the Aussies faced an uphill task needing to make 364 to return England to the crease and despite several batsmen making starts they were removed by Anderson and Tremlett who took three wickets each.
The match had an air of inevitability about it as wickets continued to tumbling, and with only Michael Beer and Steven Smith left to bat England began to play with the confident swagger of a team who knew they were on the verge of something historic When Beer played on during his final wicket stand with Smith, Australia’s 281 total was short of forcing England to bat again as the tourists won by an innings and 83 runs. It became the first time that a touring side had won three tests by an innings during a single series, and left England having retained the Ashes for the first time since 1986.
2001 (*England 1 – 4 Australia)
Having lost 3-1 in Australia the previous winter, England looked to take solace in home advantage as they sought to give a fitting farewell to outgoing captain Mike Atherton.
It didn't bode well after the first test however as England were dismissed for 294 in their first innings before Australia scored a whopping 576 on a track perfect for batting. Steve Waugh, Damien Martyn and Adam Gilchrist all scored 100s with the wicket-keeper going on to score an impressive 152 in just 143 balls.
In their second innings reply England scored only 164 runs despite being 142-2, and this meant that they were beaten embarrassingly by an innings and 118 runs. The second Test at the Oval also went Australia’s way as England’s batting continued to fail them. Several players got good starts, but not a single player came close to a half century as Australia took full advantage. Despite losing a wicket inside the second over, Mark Waugh scored 108 as the Aussies posted a total of 401. Unlike in the first test, England did manage to force Australia to bat again, but with the home team scoring 227 runs in the second innings, it meant that the tourists only needed to score 14 runs to win. They managed to reach their target in just seventeen minutes as England’s hopes of regaining the Ashes rapidly faded.
The third test at Trent Bridge was pivotal as an Australian victory meant that the Ashes would be returning down under, and once again it became clear that the tourists were much the better team than their hosts. Choosing to bat first the Three Lions were skittled out for 185 despite a half century from Marcus Trescothick, and although they had their opponents at 122-8, Adam Gilchrist blasted ten fours during his innings and scored 54. All out for 190, England needed to take advantage of the Aussies collapse, but Shane Warne had other ideas as he took 6-33 allowing England score only a measly 162 runs. Australia hit their target of 158 losing only three wickets and continuing their successive streak of victories over England.
In the fourth test, England managed to gain some pride with a six wicket victory at Headingley, but at the Oval in the final test, Australia re-asserted their domination by securing their second innings victory of the tour, running through the English top order and then forcing their hosts to follow on and still fall 25 runs short of forcing the tourists to bat again.
2002-03 (*Australia 4 – 1 England)
England travelled to Australia for the first test in November 2002 looking to bounce back from a rather comprehensive defeat in England eighteen months before. England elected to field after winning the toss in the first test, but Australia were able to take advantage of some sloppy England fielding which allowed Matthew Hayden (197) and Ricky Ponting (123) to help the home side to a score of 492.
In reply, England made 325 putting Australia in a strong position to close out the match, and on the following warm Brisbane day, Baggy Green hit 296 before deciding to declare and forcing England to chase an almost insurmountable target of 464. Unsurprisingly the tourists fell well short of the required score being bowled out for just 79 runs and losing by 384 runs.
The second test started more positively for England as they made several changes and put together a respectable total of 342. On a good batting pitch at the Adelaide Oval, the Aussies were soon in command thanks to Ricky Ponting’s 154 which allowed them to declare on 552. Despite play on day four being reduced, Australia were helped by some excellent bowling from Shane Warne (3-36) and Glenn McGrath (4-41) as England were bowled out for 159 and suffered yet another embarrassing innings defeat.
Once again Australia were in a commanding position and at the WACA in Perth they caused England yet more Ashes pain bowling England out for less than 200 before posting a total of 456. With the Three Lions hoping to show some second innings resilience their resistance was halted at 223 leaving them short by an innings and 48 runs
The fourth test in Melbourne was another runaway Australia victory to put England in danger of losing a 5-0 whitewash after a five wicket defeat, but in the final test, the Three Lions picked up a victory by 225 runs having demonstrated some fantastic batting with the top order finally getting some runs on the board setting up a victory in Sydney. Regardless of their feel-good victory as 2002 turned into 2003, it was eighth time in succession that the Australians had celebrated with the urn, something England sought about changing eighteen months later.
2005 (*England 2 – 1 Australia)
Widely regarded as the greatest Ashes series of all-time, the 2005 series looked to be a foregone conclusion as England looked to end Australian dominance and score a first series victory since 1987. Having won the previous two Ashes series in the first three tests, the Aussies looked virtually invincible, but England were confident that they could regain the famous little urn having won 14 out of their 18 test matches heading into the series.
The tourists won the opening test thanks to some fantastic bowling from Glenn McGrath who took 5-53 and 4-29 in his two spells during the match held at Lord’s. Australia’s batting was led by Michael Clarke who hit 91 in the second innings meaning England had to score 420 to win, they fell well short of the target as the match ended on day four with the Three Lions out for just 180.
Refusing to be deflated and looking to fight back in the second test at Edgbaston, both sides were to be involved in what many regard as the greatest Ashes test of all-time. On this occasion England were victorious as they scraped to a narrow two-run victory thanks to Andrew Flintoff who bowled out Brett Lee just as it seemed Australia had done enough to win. Roared on by a vociferous crowd during the third test it seemed as if England had snatched the momentum and similar circumstances unfolded at Old Trafford. Having put themselves in a good position, England were thwarted in their bid to earn back to back victories as most of the fourth day was lost to the weather and the match was drawn. There were to be no heroics this time as the home side were left needing to remove the wicket of either Brett Lee of Glenn McGrath but failed to do so before the close of play meaning that the series was still tied at 1-1.
England chose to bat first in the fourth test at Trent Bridge and looked to be in command thanks to some magnificent batting from Flintoff who hit 102. Simon Jones took a five-fer as the Australian’s were bowled out for 218 chasing England’s 477, so England enforced the follow-on and left themselves with 129 runs to win following another good bowling performance from Steve Harmison who took three wickets. Despite the ease at which they thought they might achieve victory, it turned out to be rather closer than anticipated in the end as England lost four wickets for 57 runs before Flintoff and Pietersen steadied the ship allowing Ashley Giles and Matthew Hoggard to give England a three wicket victory.
As the final test approached, England knew that a draw would be good enough for them to win the Ashes and end sixteen years of Australian dominance. England once again batted first and were boosted by Andrew Strauss scoring 129 runs in their first innings. The tourists replied with a high score of their own and just at just six runs behind England’s total they hoped that the wicket would become a touch unpredictable and help turn the match in their favour. Sadly for the Australians it wasn't to be, as Kevin Pietersen made his mark in second innings with 158 leaving Australia 342 runs to win.
England were prepared to thwart their opponents, but bad light allowed Australia to play for just four balls before the umpires removed the bails and ended the series with a draw meaning that England won back the Ashes.
2006-07 (*Australia 5 – 0 England)
Tremendous success in the 2005 Ashes series only hyped up the anticipation for the return to Australia with the home side still reeling from a narrow yet painful defeat in England.
The narrative was not only about revenge for Baggy Green but also due to impending retirement of so many players who had served them magnificently throughout the years, it was an opportunity to reflect on several fantastic careers. The only fitting result would be a win, earning back the Ashes and returning their psychological edge which had disappeared in their most recent visit to England.
The first bowl of the first test gave an indication of how tough this series would be Down Under for the tourists as Steve Harmison bowled a now infamous wide which went straight to captain Andrew Flintoff at second slip. Such a bad start for England pleased the Brisbane Cricket Ground, and they were even more delighted as the Aussies posted a huge score of 602 in their first innings.
Without the batting of Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick – both of whom were missing the tour for different reasons – England collapsed to 157 with only Ian Bell making a mark having scored 50 for the tourists.
Australia chose to bat again to force the pressure onto their opponents and after a quick fire century from Justin Langer and some good assistance from Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting, England were left chasing a massive 648 to win. They battled bravely but could only manage 370 as Warne and Clark took four wickets each to give Australia a great start in their bid to regain the Ashes with a 277-run win.
In the second test, England chose to bat first and it seemed to be a wise decision as Paul Collingwood hit 206 of England’s 551 declared. Kevin Pietersen also hit an impressive 158, but as he had done so often in the past Ricky Ponting stepped up with a huge hundred as did Michael Clark leaving Australia just short of England’s target.
Despite a lead of 38, England’s hopes of victory took a massive hit as Shane Warne tore through the middle order and allowed the tourists to score only 129 in their second innings. It was then left for the Australians to score just 168 to win, which they did with six wickets in hand and in doing so gained a stranglehold on the Ashes.
Australia won the third test toss as they looked to put themselves into an unassailable lead, but being bowled out for just 244 looked to open the door for England to fight back. Some excellent bowling by Monty Panesar (5-92) and a rejuvenated Steve Harmison (4-48) was not capitalised on by the batsmen as England were only able to post a score of 215 in reply.
Australia’s second innings was much more what the WACA crowd expected as Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey all hit centuries as Australia declared on 527 putting the initiative back in their favour. Knowing that they would have to reach a target of 557 or survive for the remaining two days, England lost Strauss cheaply and ended Day Three on 19 for 1 leaving themselves a huge task to complete. Despite some patient and effective batting from Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, there was little resistance from England’s other batsmen as Australia bowled the tourists out or 350 to secure the Ashes and win by 206 runs.
With the fate of the urn already decided, England had only their pride to gain in the final two tests, but it didn't start well on Day One of the fourth as they were bowled out for 159. Shane Warne again tormented England with figures of 5-39 before Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds put Australia in total command thanks to their scores of 153 and 156 respectively. Returning to the crease England were rattled by Brett Lee who took four wickets including Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood leaving the Three Lions stuttering to 161 and going down to an Innings and 99 run defeat.
Aiming to avoid the ultimate humiliation England headed to an emotional Sydney Cricket Ground which was preparing to say goodbye to Australian heroes Shane Warne, Justin Langer, Damien Martin and Glenn McGrath. Fittingly two of the players bidding farewell to the game helped Australia to bowl England out for 291 before scoring 393 with the bat themselves. Andrew Flintoff’s men had been totally embarrassed by the nature of several of the defeats on their latest visit to Australia, but it wasn't to get much better for the under pressure England captain as his side were out for 147 leaving Australia a target of just 46 to complete the first Ashes whitewash since 1920-21.
2009 (*England 2 – 1 Australia)
Torn apart by the nature of their humiliation in Australia, England returned to Ashes play with a much changed squad in a bid to recapture the urn that they had won on home soil the last time Baggy Green toured.
England won the toss before the opening test series at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff and with some solid batting from the whole order; they posted a score of 435. It appeared that Australia would once again be asserting their will on England after scoring 674 in their first innings before declaring. Huge contributions from Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting, Brad Haddin and Marcus North gave England a mountain to claim to avoid losing the First test, but when the weather reduced the number of overs set to be played on day three and day four, England sensed a chance of claiming a draw. Things hung in the balance as the home team lost three wickets in ninety minutes of play and were at 102-5 at lunch on day five. Paul Collingwood played resolutely however as he lasted for five hours and 43 minutes before being caught out and leaving the last man partnership of James Anderson and Monty Panesar to protect their wicket. The tail-enders successfully achieved their goal and secured a draw in the opening test.
Lord’s had been a happy hunting ground for Australia in previous Ashes tests, and having fought resolutely in a bid to win the First Test, Baggy Green were confident heading into the Second. Andrew Strauss hit 161 to make the Aussies task more difficult as England scored a total of 425 in their first innings. Jimmy Anderson had played a huge role in the first test as England clawed back to draw, but his attacking bowling put his team in a position to go one better on this occasion as he took 4-55 as Australia posted a total of 215. Sensing they could win the test despite some bad light and poor weather causing problems days two and three, England went back into bat and decided to declare on 311, setting Australia a target of 522 to win. Despite a 136 from Michael Clarke, Australia could do little to stop a rampant Andrew Flintoff who claimed his first five-wicket haul at Lords helping England to secure a first Ashes Test victory at Lord’s since 1934.
Finding themselves behind, Australia looked to take the initiative on day one of the Third Test at Edgbaston. Rain delayed the start of play, but Shane Watson helped himself to a 50 once play began, before Jimmy Anderson’s bowling once again proved difficult to bat against. With the tourists scoring 263, England’s efforts were hampered by bad light on day two, and the game suffered further when play was totally washed out the following day as a frenetic finish looked possible if the weather relented. Eventually England took to the crease and it was Flintoff who took the initiative with 74 in a 376 effort. With Australia slightly behind an expectant crowd hoped that England could pull off a miraculous victory but given the time constraints and despite getting Ponting and Katich out to put Australia at 52-2, Michael Clarke hit an unbeaten 103 to rescue Australia and leave the score still 1-0 to England after another weather affected draw.
Australia had, had little go their way in England since the 2005 Ashes series, but as the fourth test began on Day One, it appeared that the hosts might well be in danger of losing their grip on the series. England chose to bat first, but after one over they were already a wicket down as Andrew Strauss was caught out for just three runs. After just less than 20 overs England were four down and soon their innings had collapsed to a catastrophic 102 all-out.
The tourists looked to take advantage, and Marcus North led the fight scoring 110 in Australia’s innings which totalled 445 runs.
England returned to the crease determined to make inroads into the Aussies score but just as Peter Siddle had done in the first innings, Mitchell Johnson ripped through home side’s batsmen securing a five wicket haul and more importantly tying up the Ashes at 1-1 after an innings and 80 run win.
Thanks to their victory in the previous Ashes series, Australia knew that they would retain the famous urn if anything but an England victory unfolded in the fifth and final test. A ten-day break between the fourth and fifth tests had many panicking about the batting performance England has displayed at Headingley. England’s Andrew Strauss, undeterred by the way his team had let the lead slip, chose to bat first on Day One and after the England captain scored a half century, Ian Bell’s fifty plus a 41 from Jonathan Trott gave England a score of 322. Confident of retaining the Ashes, Australia came to the crease looking to play aggressively but despite a half century from Simon Katich, England bowlers Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad took the majority of the wickets as Australia only managed a total of 160 in reply. Sensing that the game was most probably theirs to lose, England batted sensibly in their second innings, scoring a timely 373 before declaring 546 runs ahead. Knowing that they needed to begin will, the tourists started their second innings 80/0 and looking in a strong position to retain the urn but their victory looked in doubt following the loss of two quick wickets. Ponting and Hussey worked together in partnership to steady their team but a great piece of fielding from Flintoff to remove the Australian captain set England on their way. With time rapidly running out in the match Graeme Swann took the wickets of North and Haddin to put his team on the brink, and when the England spinner was finally able to remove Hussey the tourists resistance ended as England won the match by 197 runs and won back the Ashes after a closely fought series.
2010-11 (*Australia 1 – 3 England)
Ashes victories had been a rarity for England in Australia, but having won two out of the last three, the tourists were confident that they could travel Down Under and perhaps beat their old rivals in their backyard for the first time since 1986-87. Still haunted by the memory of their 5-0 whitewash on their last trip to Australia, England prepared for the Ashes by beating their hosts in the final of the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Championship, but they knew it would be a very different task to retain the Ashes away from home.
The Gabba played host to First Test, but for once the Australian weather caused a few problems as Days One, Two and Four all had their play affected by rain. When both sides were eventually able to take the field, England elected to bat and after a 76 from Ian Bell, the hosts were set a target of 260 by their visitors.
The Australians got a massive 195 from Michael Hussey, and his haul was added to by a 136 from Brad Haddin which left England with a mountain to climb in their second innings. Baggy Green were in the end thwarted not only by the weather, but also some fantastic batting from England’s first three batsmen. Andrew Strauss got things started with 110, and the captain’s efforts were only bettered by Jonathan Trott who scored 135, and an amazing 235 from Alastair Cook who gave England a chance of victory. Making a brave decision to declare and allow Australia some batting time, the match ended in a stalemate as the tourists couldn't take the required wickets to win, and Australia lost only one wicket in their chase for 297 runs.
The second test saw yet another amazing feat of batting as England were set 245 runs by Australia who elected to bat first. Despite losing Andrew Strauss for just one run, Alastair Cook scored 148 before being caught out, but there wasn't to be too much despair for England as Kevin Pietersen came in and scored 227 before his team decided to declare on 620.
The Australians had been on the positive side of some very heavy defeats in past Ashes series, but the bowling of Graeme Swann assured that the hosts would be on the wrong side of a loss on this occasion as he took five wickets to leave Australia 71 runs short of forcing England to bowl and meaning that they suffered an innings defeat and had to rebuild after a morale sapping defeat.
Determined to make up for a surprising loss, Australia selected to bat first on Day One of the Third Test. The team made four changes, but looked to be heading for yet another struggle after being reduced to 69 for 5. The lower-middle order rescued Baggy Green as Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson all scored half-centuries before the home side were eventually bowled out for 268 runs.
On the Second Day of play, England reached 78 without loss before suffering a collapse thanks to the bowling of Mitchell Johnson who took 6 for 38 in a devastating spell. Cook, Pietersen and Trott were all lost cheaply leaving England still 81 runs behind their opponents. In their second innings, Australia posted a score of 309 as Hussey hit 116 to set England a target of 391 runs for victory. Despite the seeming achievability of this target the tourists quickly collapsed to 81 for 5 as Johnson picked up two more wickets. On Day Four, the remaining England batsmen were quickly bowled out within ten overs as Ryan Harris took 6 for 47 as the Australians bowled their opponents out for 123 and led to an England loss by 267 runs.
With the series level at one game each, the Ashes was poised for a fantastic finish with two games left. The traditional Boxing Day Test proved to be pivotal for both sides as England won the toss and elected to field knowing that a win in the fourth test would be enough for them to retain the Ashes.
Questions were posed of the England selectors before the match as series’ leading wicket-taker Steve Finn was rested by England and replaced by Tim Bresnan. The decision proved to be vindicated as incredibly Australia were bowled out before tea on the opening day for a score of just 98, their lowest Ashes total at the MCG. All ten dismissals were catches behind the stumps with Anderson and Tremlett taking four apiece and Bresnan securing the remaining two.
In reply, England’s openers advanced to 157 before the end of the first day, before falling early on day two. They were assisted by an unbeaten 168 from Jonathan Trott which gave the Three Lions a huge lead after scoring 513 runs in total. Australia returned to the crease with a mountain to climb as their situation remained worse than at Adelaide in the previous test as they needed to make 415 runs just to have England bat again. As Australia’s innings began, it was clear that this uphill battle was far too much for them, and consistent bowling from Bresnan and Swann meant that Baggy Green could only reach 258 and fell to yet another crushing defeat. Their loss by an innings and 157 runs meant that England reclaimed the Ashes, and also saw Australia lose two tests in a home series by innings’ defeats.
Despite hoping to at least secure a draw in the Ashes even if they could not regain the urn, there was to be little joy for Australia despite them winning the toss and electing to bat first in the fifth and final test. Rain reduced play on Day One but the home side still struggled to register a notable score on the board. None of the top order batsmen reached a half century, but despite being 189/8 they had Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus to thank for eventually finishing on 280 all-out. England’s batters began positively with Strauss scoring a quickfire fifty before being removed, but thankfully Alastair Cook once again demonstrated his batting prowess with a score of 189. Ian Bell and Matt Prior also hit centuries as England reached 644 before being bowled out in the middle of Day Three. Once again the Aussies faced an uphill task needing to make 364 to return England to the crease and despite several batsmen making starts they were removed by Anderson and Tremlett who took three wickets each.
The match had an air of inevitability about it as wickets continued to tumbling, and with only Michael Beer and Steven Smith left to bat England began to play with the confident swagger of a team who knew they were on the verge of something historic When Beer played on during his final wicket stand with Smith, Australia’s 281 total was short of forcing England to bat again as the tourists won by an innings and 83 runs. It became the first time that a touring side had won three tests by an innings during a single series, and left England having retained the Ashes for the first time since 1986.