The Ashes’ Greatest Ever Performances
It’s finally here. The 2023 Ashes Series is finally underway, and reigning urn holders Australia have made the long journey across the planet to face off against their oldest enemy, England. And what a series it promises to be.
Plenty of prominent bookmakers have made the tourists the slightest of favorites for their battle against the English, and it’s clear to see why. They have clung on to the famous tiny trophy for the last five years, managing to successfully regain it back in 2018 with a 4-0 drubbing down under. They then retained the urn in the summer of 2019 on English soil for the first time since 2001 after heading back home with a 2-2 draw, before once again handing their rivals a 4-0 thumping last winter.
England’s Upturn in Form
Since their most recent defeat to Australia, however, England have redesigned, rebuilt, and now they hope to reclaim. The appointment of former New Zealand captain Brendan McCullum and the subsequent implementation of his ‘Bazball’ tactics have revitalized his adopted nation’s fortunes. His decision to appoint Ben Stokes as captain has also proven to be a masterstroke.
England’s carrot-topped star has been their hero on numerous occasions. He led them to a maiden Cricket World Cup triumph back in 2019 before single-handedly keeping the Ashes alive later that summer with a blistering knock in the third test at Headingley. It was his unbeaten health century last November which saw his nation become double world champions as they claimed the T20 World Cup in Australia for the second time in their history.
But despite England’s improvements, it is still the Aussies who head into the series as the favorites, and they do so amidst controversy. Last October, Cricket Australia came in for criticism following their decision to continue taking sponsorship money from one of the planet’s biggest online gambling companies. Whether the powers that be within Australian cricket’s governing body like to play various online pokies at such establishments is unknown, however, one thing that is certain is that if some of their players can replicate some of these performances, they may well hit the jackpot this summer.
Steve Smith Shows His Class
In the most recent Ashes Series to take place on English soil in 2019, Australia headed north with the aim of successfully retaining the urn at the home of their greatest rivals for the first time in 18 years. Between 1989 and 2003, the Baggy Greens successfully clung onto the trophy across eight consecutive series, and they did so with relative ease. That all changed in 2005 however when Michael Vaughan, Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen, and co. succeeded in their task of ripping the urn away from the Australian vice.
In the 14 years that followed that famous series, the urn was usually claimed by the hosting nation, with England’s first victory down under in 24 years in 2011 being the only exception. That all changed in the summer of 2019, and the Aussies had one man to thank for their success. Steve Smith.
The former Aussie captain was in the form of his life that summer. In the opening test at Edgbaston, he hit centuries in both innings as his side stormed to a 251-run victory. He then hit a blistering 211 in the fourth test at Old Trafford, a test in which his side’s victory confirmed their retention of the urn. In total throughout the five-match series, he racked up a massive 774 runs in total, the fifth most of all time. And what’s even more impressive is that he only played in four of those five tests, missing the third test at Headingley due to a concussion.
Shane Warne’s Heroics Aren’t Enough
The England-Australia Ashes Series in 2005 was a memorable match between two ferocious rivals. It was a keenly contested series, but Shane Warne stood out above the others and was the player whose performance made it. Warney’s actions had a profound effect on cricket history. And one of the greatest bowling performances in cricket history, his effort in the second Test match at Edgbaston won’t be forgotten.
His six-wicket haul in the second innings, including a wicket-maiden, left the crowd in awe. Australia captain, Ricky Ponting, summed it up perfectly after the match, saying: “There was a magical moment there where everyone in the ground knew that this guy was going to make something happen.” It wasn’t enough to get the victory however, with Steve Harmison memorably finding a ball to explode off the pitch and that left Michael Kasprowicz caught behind with his side just three runs away from victory.
The fifth and final Test match at The Oval saw Warne pick up his 40th and final wicket in the series, securing his claim to the title of Player of the Series. In the end, England would eventually win the nail-biting series by a score of 2-1, but Warne’s heroic performances that summer will stand the test of time.
