Like most of us, I approached this winter’s Ashes with some optimism. Sadly, it took only three deliveries for that optimism to be quashed, Zack Crawley once again falling to a waft outside off stump. Worse was the capitulation on day two of the first test. To lose a test in two days, when we started the day with a great chance of winning, was truly demoralising. And, Root and Bethell aside, things didn’t get much better in the rest of the series.
Well, this blog may cheer you up. It features 25 stories from the history of the Ashes, looking at great series and matches, great individual performances and great moments as well as a few of the worst. Obviously, what’s best to the England fan may be worst to the Australian but all the stories are, I hope, interesting.
If you feel I’ve missed anything please add your comments – the beauty of a blog is that it can always be rewritten.
Wishing you all an exciting series, with some success for England, this winter.
1. Mission impossible – Ben Stokes, Headingley 2019
The 2019 home Ashes pretty much had it all. A 2-2 tied series where at least four of the tests could have gone either way, and where great performances from some – Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer – were balanced by mediocrity from others, in particular and to the great pleasure of England fans, David Warner. It also had possibly the most unlikely win for England in any era, in a test that provided thrills and spills and one of the greatest innings of all time.
The venue was Headingley, the test the third in the series. England had been well beaten in the first despite getting off to a strong start, then had seen Australia hang on for a draw in the second. They came to Headingley needing some sort of result if their opponents were not to hang on to the Ashes. They started well, bowling Australia out for only 179, but things went seriously south when England replied. Only one batter, Joe Denly, was able to reach double figures (and he scored just 12) as Australia’s high-class pace attack rolled England over. The score of 67 was the home side’s lowest since 1948.
In Australia’s second innings, England bowled well to restrict their opponents to 246 (frustratingly the top scorer was Marnus Labuschagne, in the side only due to a concussion suffered by Steve Smith) but that still left a mountain to climb. The target of 359 was greater than any run chase that England had ever achieved, and the first innings would hardly have filled the team with confidence.
When both England openers fell cheaply, victory looked out of the question, but a recovery was mounted by Joe Root and Denly, who put together an old-fashioned stand of 126 in 53 overs, almost twice the length of the entire first innings. When Denly fell, it brought all-rounder Ben Stokes to the crease. The version of Stokes that came out was unrecognisable from any previous version we had seen. On the ground where Geoffrey Boycott had scored his hundredth hundred (and many more) Stokes showed he could out-Boycott the great man, scoring only three singles from the first 73 balls that he faced. Once Root had gone, he batted more conventionally with Jonny Bairstow, and the two went to lunch needed ‘only’ another 121 runs but with six wickets still in hand.
In test cricket, most such run chases falter, with optimism giving way to realism as soon as wickets begin to fall. This was no exception. After lunch, Stokes found himself increasingly isolated as England collapsed to 286/9. 73 runs were still needed and Stokes could not rely on his partner, number 11 batsman Jack Leach, to contribute many of them. The plan, therefore, was simple. Stokes would hit out and try and retain the strike, Leach would simply survive when he had to.
The plan worked well. Despite the fielders being spread around the boundary, Stokes kept managing to clear the rope. Meanwhile, at the other end, Leach resisted doggedly when called upon. The target came down and down. A big scare came with only 17 left, when Stokes miscued and the ball sailed out to third man, but fielder Marcus Harris, who had endured a torried time in the series with the bat, failed to make the catch.
As the target approached, the tension both in the ground and in households across the UK and Australia ratcheted up and up. Then with just eight required Australia made a fatal error, going for their last DRS review on a ball clearly pitching outside Jack Leach’s leg stump. This was to come back and haunt them as with only two runs left to get, Stokes survived an LBW appeal, when DRS would have convicted him. There was also time on the same score for a comedy fielding error by the most experienced player on Australia’s side, spinner Nathan Lyon, that should have run out Leach and won the match for Australia.
The cricket gods, though, were clearly on Stokes’ and England’s side. After Leach had scored his first and only single in the partnership to level up the scores, Stokes crashed a ball from Pat Cummins to the boundary to complete an amazing innings and an incredible victory.
England cricket greats were fulsome in their praise. “The greatest ever innings by an Englishman” Alastair Cook; “The most incredible performance by anyone, ever” David Gower; “I’ve seen some remarkable cricket moments in my life, but that is the best I’ve seen in over 50 years” Geoffrey Boycott; and the final word from his teammate Joe Root “He’s a bit of a freak”.
2. The return of the king – Ian Botham, Headingley 1981
Rarely has an Ashes series been dominated by just one individual, but at the end of the 1981 series there was only one name on peoples’ lips, that of Ian Terence Botham. Not only had the young all-rounder been the pivotal character in England’s series victory, but he had done so after plumbing the depths of despair earlier in the summer.
Botham, still only 25, was the undoubted star of English cricket. Since his test debut four years earlier, he had comfortably been England’s top wicket-taking bowler, added to which he had scored six centuries, normally in aggressive and entertaining style. His all-round talents had led to him being named captain of England in 1980, but it was then that his star began to tarnish. He had the misfortune to lead his side in two series against the dominant side of the time, the West Indies, but the responsibilities of captaincy seemed anyway not to suit him and his own form had been affected. He came to the 1981 series against Australia as captain but with no test wins under his belt and lacking confidence in his own game.
The first test was a low scoring affair in which Australia just managed to get over the line chasing down a target of 132 (they reached it with only four wickets in hand). The second test, at Lords, was drawn but it saw an almost unrecognisable Botham at his lowest ebb. He suffered the ignominy of his first pair (a duck in both innings), and was greeted with an eerie silence when he returned to the pavilion after his second dismissal. He resigned as captain immediately after the match, although it was thought by those in the know that he had done so only moments before he would have been sacked.
A lesser character might have slunk off to ‘regroup’ but not Botham. Freed from the pressure of captaincy, and once again under the guidance of his unlikely ‘svengali’ Mike Brearley, Botham staged an immediate Lazarus-like recovery, taking six wickets in Australia’s first innings in the third test at Headingley. He also top-scored, with 50, in England’s first innings but failures from his fellow batsmen meant that his team followed on. When wickets fell rapidly in the second innings, a defeat looked utterly inevitable. As England’s seventh wicket went down they were still almost 100 runs away from making Australia bat again, and Ladbrokes were offering 500-1 against an England win (a bet that Australians Dennis Lillee and Rodney Marsh were happy to make). It was then though that something remarkable happened.
Fast bowler Graham Dilley came out to join Botham at the crease. “You don’t fancy hanging around on this wicket for a day and a half, do you?” said Botham to Dilley, who concurred. “Right. Come on, let’s give it some humpty.” Dilley was not much of a batsman with a previous test highest of 38, but he could hit the ball. Together the two added 117 in only 80 minutes flaying the ball to all parts. Botham continued the assault after Dilley was out, adding 104 more with first Chris Old then Bob Willis. One of his straight sixes, off Terry Alderman, elicited the memorable commentary from Richie Benaud “Don’t bother looking for that, let alone chasing it. That’s gone straight into the confectionery stall and out again”. When Willis was finally out, England had scored 356 and Botham was 149 not out.
Notwithstanding his incredible effort, Australia were still hot favourites to win, requiring only 130 runs. Botham, for once, relinquished the limelight in favour of one of his teammates. After taking the first wicket, he handed over match-winning responsibilities to fast bowler Bob Willis. Willis, wicketless in the first innings, ran in like a man possessed. Australia collapsed from 56-1 to 75-8, with Willis taking six of the seven wickets to fall. A brief fightback from Ray Bright and Dennis Lillee threatened to turn the game back Australia’s way, but Willis was not to be denied. When Ray Bright was bowled, England had won a gripping and unforgettable test by 18 runs.
Botham, freed from the shackles of captaincy, was unstoppable in the rest of the series. He produced a match-winning spell of five wickets for one run to clinch the fourth test, a match-winning hundred in the fifth test, and took a further 10 wickets in the final, drawn, test. The man who had been down and out at Lords had become an all-time legend in the space of an incredible six weeks.
3. The squeakiest bum time – Edgbaston 2005
The 1990s and early noughties were a barren and desolate period for England in the Ashes. After a crushing home series defeat in 1989 (0-4 that could easily have been 0-6 without the helpful intervention of rain) England had been decidedly second-best for the next 16 years and seven series.
The 2005 home Ashes saw a reversal of fortunes in what many believe to be the greatest and most entertaining series ever. England had been improving steadily under the leadership of captain Michael Vaughan and coach Duncan Fletcher, but Australia remained the dominant force in world cricket. The visitors had lost only one test series in over six years (away to India in 2001) and boasted a team of all talents in all departments of the game. Their bowling was especially strong, led by two of the greatest wicket-takers and match-winners of all-time, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
It was McGrath who struck first, taking nine wickets in the first test at Lords to quash a promising England start and lead the Aussies to victory. England had, though, in defeat put a shot across the bows of their visitors with some aggressive fast bowling, and a promising performance from debutant Kevin Pietersen.
The second test at Edgbaston was an absolute epic. England, enjoying the absence of McGrath from the Australian bowling line up (the stray cricket ball that he stood on before play should be mounted in the Edgbaston trophy cabinet), batted well to get to 407 in their first innings, before bowling out the tourists out for a lead of 99. Shane Warne then delivered one his many masterclasses against England, taking six wickets (including a ball to Andrew Strauss every bit as remarkable as the one that bowled Gatting in 1989) as the home side were scuttled out for only 182. A target of 282 looked eminently doable for the strong Australian batting line-up.
England’s bowlers had, however, shown that they could take Australian wickets and so it proved. All five bowlers chipped in and with Australia at 140-7 on the third day (this test had moved very fast) England claimed the extra half hour to try and force a result. It looked a forlorn hope until, with the final ball of the day, Steve Harmison conjured up a beautifully disguised slower ball to utterly bamboozle Australia’s last recognised batsman, Michael Clarke. Stumps were drawn with Australia on 175-8, still needing over 100 and with only lower order batsman Warne, Brett Lee and Mike Kasprowicz available to score them.
What followed on the fourth morning was one of the most engrossing and excruciating pieces of drama ever served up on a British sports field. The morning started with Warne and Lee adding 45 before Warne trod on his stumps avoiding a full ball from Flintoff. With 62 still required England were hot favourites, but Lee and Kasprowicz could not be moved. England’s bowling and fielding became a little ragged as the Aussies accumulated runs and got closer and closer to the target. A (difficult) missed catch at third man by Simon Jones seemed to symbolise England’s collective loss of nerve. Then, with only three required, Kasprowicz faced up to Harmison. A short ball was directed at the Australian’s body and in trying to protect himself he gloved the ball down the leg side. Keeper Geraint Jones flung himself to his left and just held on to the catch. When umpire Billy Bowden signalled it was out, the whole of Edgbaston erupted.
In the midst of one great sporting moment, we witnessed another as Freddie Flintoff went over to commiserate with a disconsolate Brett Lee in a touching act of sportsmanship. Even amongst the euphoria and relief it was possible to feel for the opposition … until the next match at least.
4. Bodyline – Australia, 1932/3
In November 1928 a young Australian batsman by the name of Donald Bradman made his debut in the first test against England at Brisbane. It was not a great success (Bradman scored only 18 and 1 in what was a crushing defeat for his team – England won by a massive margin of 675 runs) and the 20-year-old was dropped for the following match. It was to be a short exile. Recalled for the third test, Bradman scored his first century. He never looked back. Within a couple of years, the South Australian had become the most feared batsman in cricket, utterly dominant against every type of bowling and capable of scoring big runs whenever and wherever they were needed.
When England toured Australia in 1932/33 they had one principal objective. Stop Bradman. They had vivid memories of the 1930 home series where Bradman had hit England’s bowlers to all corners in scoring 974 runs (still a record in a series), and knew that their only chance on away soil would be if they could neutralise the world’s best batsman.
The tactic they developed became known as ‘bodyline’ or ‘leg theory’ and its use made the series the most controversial in cricket history. The idea of bodyline was simple – direct fast short-pitched bowling at the batsman’s legs and body and flood the leg side with fielders (there were no restrictions at this time on where you could place fielders). Batsmen who were aggressive would risk being caught pulling or hooking, those who were more fearful would fend off to short fielders or, in some cases, get injured. England had two very quick and strong bowlers – Harold Larwood and Bill Voce – and they would lead this hostile attack against the Australian batsmen.
The first Test, played in Sydney, did not actually feature Bradman who was in dispute with the Australian cricket administrators. Leg theory was still employed, with Larwood and Voce taking 16 wickets between them in a 10-wicket win for England. Only Stan McCabe of Australia stood firm, making an unbeaten 187 in an innings still rated amongst the best ever played in his country. Bradman returned for the second Test where he was dismissed first ball in the first innings, playing on trying to hook. An unbeaten century in the second innings, though, propelled Australia to a 111-run victory, and there was some talk that maybe bodyline was not all it was cracked up to be.
The talk changed during the third Test. After England were bowled out for 341, Australia came into bat in front of a crowd of over 50,000. In the third over, delivered by Larwood, Aussie skipper Bill Woodfull narrowly avoided a head high bouncer before being struck just over the heart with the next ball. As Woodfull staggered around the wicket and with the crowd in uproar, England captain Douglas Jardine, the architect of the strategy and an uncompromising competitor, pointedly called “Well bowled, Harold!” to his bowler. When Woodfull next faced Larwood, Jardine adjusted the field to place more fielders on the leg side. There was more tumult in the ground, but the game continued.
Later that day the England manager, Pelham (Plum) Warner visited the Australian dressing room to express sympathy to the Australian captain. He was met with a frosty and hostile response with Woodfull uttering the famous words “I don’t want to see you, Mr Warner. There are two teams out there. One is trying to play cricket and the other is not.” When this exchange was leaked to the press, the flames were fanned even further.
Matters were not helped after a rest day when Australia resumed their first innings. Wicket keeper Bert Oldfield had been leading a fightback with Bill Ponsford when he edged another bouncer from Larwood into his head, fracturing his own skull. The crowd seemed on the verge of a riot, although it was thankfully averted.
Riot or not, the match and the series came very close to being called off following an exchange of cables between the MCC and the Australian Board of Control that led to a full-blown diplomatic incident. The Australian cable contained the lines “(Bodyline) In our experience is unsportsmanlike, Unless stopped at once likely to upset friendly relations between Australia and England.” The MCC’s response was extremely robust “We deplore your cable. We deprecate your opinion that there has been unsportsmanlike play. We have the fullest confidence in our captain, team and managers and are sure that they would do nothing to infringe either the laws of cricket or the spirit of the game.” The situation was only defused when the Australians climbed down from their accusation of poor sportsmanship, almost certainly influenced by diplomats fearful of trade sanctions being imposed by Britain.
The tour continued in pretty poor odour, with bodyline tactics occasionally deployed by England, but generally with more conventional cricket. England managed to win the final two tests to capture a rare away series victory by 4-1.
There was still some bad blood when the two sides next met, in England in 1934. But England were without Larwood, Voce and, perhaps most critically, their captain Jardine. Bradman if not quite hitting the heights of four years earlier, still managed 758 runs at average of 95, and helped his side to a 2-1 series victory. Captain Bill Woodfull would doubtless have enjoyed this ‘revenge’ as much as anyone.
5. The ball of the century – Shane Warne, Old Trafford 1993
On the 2nd of January 1992 an inexperienced Australian leg-spinner made his debut in test cricket against India. It was an inauspicious start. Figures of 1-150 from 45 overs were followed by 0-78 in his next test before he was dropped. Recalled for the tour to Sri Lanka, his figures improved only slightly. The selectors might, at this point, have given up on him. Thankfully for Australian cricket, indeed for world cricket, they did not, and the marvel that was Shane Keith Warne graced the game of cricket for years to come.
He began to show his class in series against West Indies and New Zealand, but it was against England in 1993 that he really arrived. The first Test that year was played at Old Trafford. Australia had batted first, and posted a disappointing total of only 289 after having been 183/1. Unusually for the first day of a test in England, eight of the wickets had gone to spin. The home side’s reply began solidly and when the first wicket fell at 71, it brought together England’s two most experienced batsmen, Mike Gatting and Graham Gooch. With these two looking relatively comfortable, Australian captain Allan Border turned to his young leg spinner hoping for a breakthrough. He got his breakthrough, and how!
Warne trotted up with his short run and rolled his arm over. The ball was flighted down the leg side, with the spin causing it to swing slightly further to leg. It pitched well outside the line of leg stump and Gatting, judged to be the best player of spin in the England side, plonked his front leg down with his bat tucked in behind his pad to cover any possible movement of the ball. The next thing he heard was the sound of the ball clipping his off stump. Gatting was incredulous and stood his ground for a second or two. Surely the ball must have rebounded off the Australian keeper back into the stumps.
In fact, as we all know now, Warne had spun the ball prodigiously and it had shot across Gatting at an angle no batsman in the world could have predicted or played. With one ball Warne had changed the face of test cricket. When he retired from test cricket 14 years later he had taken over 700 wickets (almost 200 against England) and had played a massive part in the most successful test team in history. This incredible delivery the start of more than a decade of greatness.
6. The demon and the birth of the Ashes – Fred Spofforth, 1882
In 1878 a 6ft 3in Australian well and truly announced himself to the cricketing world. Playing for his Australian touring side at Lords, the 24-year-old Frederick Spofforth helped dismiss the MCC, the de facto England team of the time, for scores of 33 and 19. He helped himself to 10 wickets at a cost of only 20 runs, and could count the great WG Grace, clean bowled for a duck, amongst his victims. On his return to the dressing room he reportedly said “Ain’t I a demon? Ain’t I a demon?” and so his sobriquet of ‘the Demon’ was born.
On his day, which came pretty regularly and reliably, Spofforth was close to unplayable. He demonstrated this to devastating effect in the only test of the 1882 tour to England, played at the Oval. On what was clearly a difficult pitch for batting, Australian scored only 63 in their first innings. When England replied, Spofforth prevented them from taking a significant lead, taking seven wickets, including the last four in 11 overs for the cost of only one scoring shot, a two. Australia fared a little better in their second than they had in their first but at least set a target for England to clinch the victory, just 85 runs. Spofforth refused to concede victory telling his teammates “Boys, this thing can be done”. And it could.
England, got off to a solid start in their chase and were within 20 runs of victory with only four wickets down. A flurry of wickets, though, saw them collapse, losing their remaining six wickets for the addition of a dismal 11 runs. They had fallen to a seven-run defeat with ‘the demon’ taking 14 wickets, seven in each innings, at a cost of only 90 runs.
Following the loss, the Sporting Times published a mock obituary for English cricket. It read “In Affectionate Remembrance of English Cricket, which died at the Oval on 29th August, 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances. R.I.P.” then the killer line: “N.B. The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.” And so, the legend of the Ashes was born with the famous urn making its appearance the following year.
Spofforth, who had done so much to take ‘the ashes’ to Australia, eventually settled in England, becoming a tea merchant in Derbyshire.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2013/jun/27/20-great-ashes-moments-fred-spofforth
7. The day of the squeegees – The Oval, 1968
1968 saw two relatively evenly matched sides come together to contest the Ashes. With each game in the balance at some point, it could have been one of the great series, but after Australia edged the first Test, both the second and third were spoiled by rain with England ahead in both. The fourth might have produced a win for either side but finished in a draw, all of which meant that England went into the final Test at the Oval trailing by 0-1.
Centuries from Edrich and D’Oliveira helped England to a total of 494 in their first innings, good enough for a lead of 170 after Australia had replied. England then set Australia a target, a stiff 352 to either chase or survive for just over the day of play that remained. The visitors got off to a poor start, and stood at a precarious 86 for 5 when they were reprieved by a light shower just before lunch on the fifth day. The Australians must then have been delighted to see this shower transform over lunch into a freak rainstorm that flooded the playing area. The game surely could not go on and the series must be theirs.
Or maybe not. As fast as the rain had come, it went and the sun came out. If the water could be mopped up, perhaps the game could restart. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that there were not enough groundstaff available to mop up the water. England captain had a brainwave – why not get the crowd involved. He invited them over the loudspeakers and hundreds volunteered to help. Using whatever cloth they could get their hands on – jackets, blankets, handkerchiefs – they tried to soak up the water. By 4:45pm the impossible had been achieved and the ground was judged ready for play.
This left just 75 minutes (no extension was given despite the rain) for England to take the remaining five wickets. The pitch, now a ‘sticky dog’, was helpful but England could just not take a wicket. After forty agonising minutes, they finally broke through when Basil D’Oliveira, the all-rounder, bowled Australian keeper. Spinner Derek Underwood was brought back on and struck immediately with two wickets in an over. Aussie spinner Jack Gleeson survived for a bit before he fell, leaving England 12 minutes to capture the final wicket. Finally, with only five minutes left on the clock, opening batsman John Inverarity, who had defended stoutly throughout the whole innings, padded up to an arm ball from Underwood and was given out LBW. England had won the Test by the skin of their teeth and squared the series. Those whose jackets and other items had been soaked and potentially ruined must have felt thoroughly delighted.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/8062579.stm
8. The ‘stumping’ – Jonny Bairstow / Alex Carey, Lords 2023
Cricket is a game with a vast array of rules, but it’s also a game of customs and practices in which playing the game in the right spirit is (or at least has been) considered as important as keeping within those rules. Not claiming a catch that you know you didn’t take cleanly, walking when you’ve nicked it, admitting you’ve stepped on the boundary rope when fielding – all of these and many, many more are ways of playing the game ‘the right way’. Although much of this sportsmanship has gone out of the professional game in recent years (indeed it was probably never quite as well-mannered in the past as some like to think), there are still certain things that are considered beyond the pale.
The 2023 Ashes series threw up an incident that many (mainly English) felt went completely against the spirit of cricket. The Australians had won an extremely tight first test at Edgbaston, and the second, at Lords, looked like it was headed to another close finish. England were chasing a big total of 371, but had shown under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum that anything was possible. When Jonny Bairstow, came to the crease to join Stokes at 177/5, victory was unlikely but both were explosive batsman who could knock big lumps out of the target.
Bairstow had progressed calmly to 10 when he faced the last ball of a Cameron Green over. He evaded a bouncer then stepped out of his crease, as he often did, to pat down the spot where the ball had pitched. Aussie keeper, Alex Carey, having caught the ball, saw Bairstow out of his crease and under-armed it back to the stumps hitting them. Australia, to everyone’s surprise, appealed for a stumping. As the ball was not deemed to be dead at the point where Bairstow had left his crease, he was, according to the letter of the law, out and the umpires had no choice but to send him on his way. Australia could, as had happened in similar incidents in the past, have withdrawn their appeal and allowed the umpires to reinstate Bairstow, but they elected not to do so.
England – team, management, supporters and, in this case infamously, Lords members – were shocked and appalled. The Australians, in their quest to win the test (which they went on to do despite another incredible innings from Ben Stokes) had committed an unpardonable act of poor sportsmanship. Thousands of column inches were dedicated to discussing it. In England it was universally condemned, in Australia it was either praised or at the very least excused.
Perhaps it was worth it, but the main upshot for the Aussies (as well as outrage) was that they succeeded in firing up not only the England team but also the whole of the country. From 2-0 down, and with crowds barracking the Aussies – particularly Carey and captain Cummins – at every opportunity, the home side fought back to square the series. They would have won the series had it not rained in Manchester. Perhaps the cricketing gods were getting a little bit of revenge on those who had so flagrantly betrayed the spirit of the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-8Rrb7yd6o
9. Utterly unplayable – Jim Laker, Old Trafford 1956
In all sports, records are there to be broken. Bob Beamon’s long jump, Mark Spitz’s seven gold medals on one Games, Hank Aaron’s career home runs, Bobby Charlton’s goals … all looked unbeatable until one day they were. It’s safe, though, to say that one record in cricket will never be beaten – Jim Laker’s 19 wickets in one Test match in 1956. 9 for 37 in the first innings, 10 for 53 in the second, an incredible 19 for 90 in the match. And this on a pitch where his fellow spinner, Tony Lock, no mug with the ball, took only one wicket in 69 overs.
Laker was helped by the pitch, but perhaps more so by the inexperience of the Australians in facing right arm finger spin, or off-spin. Pitches in Australia had become so unresponsive to finger-spin that the off-break had largely disappeared from the game there, with pace and wrist-spin prevailing. The Aussie batsmen found it difficult to line themselves up against the ball spinning in to them, particularly with Laker coming from round the wicket, so became vulnerable to LBWs and, particularly, to catches close to the wicket. Laker had, incredibly, already taken 10 wickets in an innings in an earlier match against the tourists – 10/88 for his county Surrey – so felt he had something of a psychological advantage over them. Twenty wickets in the first three Tests showed that his confidence was warranted.
At Old Trafford he took things onto a whole new level. England batted first and amassed a big score of 459. Australia’s reply actually got off to a decent start, but Laker struck twice with the score on 48. Once Lock had taken the third wicket, his only one of the match, Laker went on a tear, polishing off the innings with a spell of 7 for 8 in just 22 balls. Following on, the Australians defended more stoutly, even managing (with the help of some rain) to take the game into the final session of the match. But Laker kept chipping away, and when he trapped wicketkeeper Len Maddocks leg before wicket it was all over. Laker had taken all 10 and Australia had been beaten by an innings.
Celebrations were somewhat more muted in 1956 than they are in modern times. After taking his 19th and final wicket, Laker simply took his sweater from the umpire, tossed it over his shoulder, shook hands with a couple of his teammates and walked off the pitch. The crowd swarmed around him, but he looked quite unmoved. He had to stick around to do a few press interviews, but left Old Trafford around 8pm. His reward for his phenomenal achievement – a pint and a sandwich, sitting quietly, unnoticed by the other customers in a local pub.
10. The miracle spell – Stuart Broad, Trent Bridge 2015
The 2015 home Ashes was, according to Wisden, “a series that defied predictions, statistics, narrative, and at times appeared to defy even gravity”. It was a series in which every Test produced a one-sided result, but where you never knew beforehand which of the two sides would be the one to come out on top. The first Test delivered a comfortable win for England, the second an even more emphatic victory for Australia, the third was back in England hands, this time in only three days. When the two teams arrived at Trent Bridge for the fourth Test it was at best educated guesswork as to whether either, both or neither would turn up. The answer, thumpingly, was England.
Stuart Broad is one of only five bowlers in the history of cricket to have taken over 600 test wickets. Of the five, only two, Broad and long-time teammate Jimmy Anderson, are pace bowlers. By any standards his career is exceptional, but Broad tends not to be ranked amongst the all-time great pacers, sitting behind the likes of McGrath, Hadlee, Lillee, Steyn and Marshall. Perhaps it’s because, unlike these, he could go through extended periods when he looked out of rhythm and unthreatening. When, however, he was on song, there were few better and his ability to bowl match-winning spells is up with the very best. So, it was on the first morning of the Trent Bridge Test of 2015.
The weather was damp and grey and the pitch a little green, so conditions looked tailor-made for seam. Winning the toss was critical, and once captain Alastair Cook had called correctly, he had no hesitation in putting Australia in to bat. With Anderson missing through injury, Broad was called upon to bowl the first over, his first time in four years. And what an over. Chris Rogers caught behind on the third ball and the dangerous Steve Smith nicking to slip on the sixth. Australia 10-2 after one over. Mark Wood then joined in the fun striking in the second over, before Broad took another in the third. 15-4. The coup de grace came in Broad’s third over when Adam Voges got a thick edge to a ball a little short of a length. It looked a certain boundary, but Ben Stokes leapt to his right from fifth slip and grasped it one-handed after it seemed to have already passed him. No-one who saw it could believe it. Stokes, like Botham in times past, had created another impossible piece of cricketing magic.
Australia did not last long. All out for 60, their innings had lasted only 111 balls, the shortest first innings in Test history. Broad’s 8-15 was the best Test analysis ever at Trent Bridge. England had no such problems and got to 274-4 on the first day for a decisive and humiliating lead of 214. Broad’s heroics, ably supported by Stokes, had given them a platform to win by an innings and clinch the series.
11. The king of the swingers – Bob Massie, Lords 1972
In 1970 the right-arm fast-medium swing bowling of Bob Massie produced figures of 3 for 166 in two trial matches for Northamptonshire second XI. The 23-year-old Australian was not offered a contract by the county, so returned home to try and cement his place in the Western Australia side and perhaps force his way into the thinking of the national team’s selectors.
This he managed, being selected for the unofficial 1971/72 series against a Rest of the World XI. An analysis of 7/76, which included the prized wicket of Gary Sobers, in his second outing saw him selected for the tour to England in 1972. His first cap proper was to come at the home of cricket, Lords, after England had won a low-scoring first Test at Old Trafford.
England at this time were a solid team that had not lost to Australia in the 11 previous tests. The batting line up was built on the experienced opening pair of Geoff Boycott and John Edrich and, if not especially exciting, was staffed with seasoned run-scorers. This was of no concern to Massie who exploited the swing-friendly conditions to take five wickets, including Boycott clean bowled, on the first day. When he polished off the innings on the second morning, he had become only the second bowler in test history to take eight wickets in his first innings – 8/84.
If England thought he was finished they were sadly disabused in the second innings. Massie, if anything, was even more potent, finishing with 8/53. His match figures of 16/137 were the best ever by a debutant (they were surpassed 16 years later by Narendra Hirwani of India with 16/136) and remain the fourth best analysis ever in Test cricket.
Massie’s career was unlikely to improve from this point, but it was still a surprise that it faded so quickly. He took five wickets in the third Test but was then relatively innocuous in the following two. He was selected for Australia’s home series that winter against Pakistan, but the third Test – when, oddly, it was his batting that shone – was the last he played for his country. In fact, he only played another five first class matches after this, but he had, in his brief Test career left an indelible mark and memory on the game.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/jul/16/the-spin-ashes-massies-match
12. The Jessop Miracle – Gilbert Jessop, The Oval 1902
The 1902 home series had already been conceded to Australia when the two sides met at The Oval for the fifth and final Test. The fact that it was dead rubber did not, though, stop it from becoming one of the most dramatic matches in Ashes history.
The hero was Gilbert Laird Jessop of Gloucestershire, a batsman renowned as the most dashing stroke player of his era. Relatively short (5ft 7in) but blessed with exceptionally quick footwork and a great eye for the ball, he scored runs from all types of bowling and all around the wicket. His approach to the game was to score runs as quickly as possible and, seemingly, to hell with defending. He was good enough to score over 26,000 runs in first-class cricket, but his cavalier attitude probably restricted his test career, which numbered only 18 appearances for England.
Jessop’s finest hour came in 1902 when England were set 263 to beat Australia. He came to the crease with his side destined for certain defeat at 48 for 5. Jessop decided, certainly not for the first time in his career, that attack was the best form of defence and set about the Australian bowling. His first 50 runs came in 43 minutes and his century in 75 minutes and off only 74 balls. It was not without some luck and, indeed unusually for Jessop, without some restraint (he suppressed his urge to hit across the line to top bowler Trumble) but it was still very very good. When he was out for 104 (out of 139 scored while he was at the crease) England had got to within sight of their target. It still required a lot of work, not least from Yorkshire’s George Hirst, but they managed to get across the line with just one wicket remaining.
The normally restrained Wisden recorded that “All things considered a more astonishing display has never been seen” and CB Fry added “I should say Jessop’s 104 must rank as the greatest innings by a pure hitter ever played.” His century remains the fastest ever scored by an Englishman in a Test, indeed it would have been even quicker had the rules on scoring sixes been the same as they are today (until 1907 a six was only awarded when the ball left the ground, not when it cleared the ropes). Even with today’s bigger bats and more aggressive approach it has not been beaten which shows just how remarkable Jessop’s innings was.
https://cricmash.com/clashes/ashes-1902-the-jessop-miraclehttps://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/155500.html
13. The fightback – Brisbane 2010/11
Having won the Ashes in thrilling style in 2009, England were desperate not to ‘do a 2006/7’ (losing the series 5-0 when holding the urn) when they arrived in Australia in 2010. The sides seemed evenly matched, with England perhaps having the stronger batting line-up, but Australia always dangerous bowling on home soil.
The first test at Brisbane started worryingly. Opener Andrew Strauss was out for a duck, and despite reasonable knocks from Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell, England were able to muster only 260 all out. When Australia ran up 481 with Michael Hussey and Brad Haddin both scoring hundreds, it suggested that England had really underachieved. They needed to make a statement in their second innings, otherwise the tour could become yet another walkover for the Aussies. Fortunately, something seemed to click.
Openers Strauss and Cook survived a tricky little period at the end of day three to close on 19-0. When stumps were drawn at the close of the following day’s play only one wicket had been lost and the score had moved on to 309-1. When England declared on the fifth afternoon the score was an incredible 517 still for the loss of only one wicket! Cook was unbeaten on 235* and Jonathan Trott on 135*. In 152 overs Australia had taken a single, solitary wicket.
As a statement of intent, nothing could have been clearer. England were showing that they had the skill and application to defeat the Australian bowlers, and that they would fight for every wicket. In the course of the series they put together previously unimaginable scores of 620-5, 513 and 644. Apart from a little upset at Perth they were unbeatable, grinding the spirit out of the Australians.
At the end of the series, as England celebrated a 3-1 series victory in an empty SCG, a peculiar sensation came over many England fans – were we feeling just a tiny bit sorry for the Aussies? No way! We knew they’d be back, and they were, so had to enjoy this victory to the maximum.
14. The substitute – Gary Pratt, Trent Bridge 2005
Gary Pratt was a decent cricketer, good enough to play first class cricket for Durham for a handful of seasons in the early 2000s. He would, though, be a forgotten footnote in the annals of cricketing history were it not for his unlikely and significant contribution to the 2005 Ashes.
Pratt had been brought onto the pitch as a substitute fielder for the injured Simon Jones. A specialist fielder, he was available for duties with England only because his batting form for Durham had been so poor that he had been released from their first team.
His significant action came in Australia’s second innings. The visitors were fighting back having followed on, and looked well set at 155/2 with captain Ricky Ponting seemingly back to his best. Ponting was at the bowler’s end when partner Damian Martyn pushed the ball to cover and called for a quick single. The ball was picked up smartly by Pratt who twisted his body and threw in one motion at the one stump he could see. He hit the target and the bails flew with Ponting well out of his crease. Australia went on to lose the test, a loss that was key to England’s historic series win.
Ponting was furious, having complained earlier in the series about England’s use of substitute fielders, feeling they were using them tactically to give bowlers a rest. When he had cooled down – and it did take until the series was over – he was magnanimous enough to present Pratt with a pair of signed boots. Pratt was invited to join the England team on the open top bus tour through London and was greeted with chants of ‘there’s only one Gary Pratt’. Sadly, for Pratt, his new fame did not resuscitate his first-class career, in fact it may have hindered it as he became known only as a fielder and not as the decent batsman he was. Released by Durham in 2006, only a year after his heroics, he never played first class cricket again.
15. One for every day of the year (almost) – Len Hutton, The Oval 1938
The 1938 Ashes was an interesting series, although principally for cricketing statisticians. It featured a string of all-time greats on both sides – Wally Hammond, Len Hutton, Denis Compton, Hedley Verity for England and Don Bradman, Stan McCabe and Bill O’Reilly for Australia – but not many great matches.
The first test saw England rack up 658 with four centurions, Charlie Barnett, Hutton, Eddie Paynter and Compton. Australia’s reply was notable mainly for an astonishing innings from McCabe, which moved the great Bradman to implore his teammates to “Come and look at this. You’ve never seen anything like it!” McCabe scored 232 out of 300 while he was at the wicket, including 72 in his final 28 minutes. The match was drawn as was the second test, while the third test became only the second in test history to be completely rained off. (It may not surprise you to know that it was ‘played’ at Manchester.)
The fourth test – a strangely low-scoring affair in a summer of many runs – went the way of the tourists, in part due to a century, his third of the series, from Bradman. Then onto The Oval for the fifth and final test.
The test was designated as ‘timeless’ so was to be played to a result, however long it took.
England batted first and set their stall out to bat for as long as was humanly possible. At the end of day one their score stood at 347-1 with opener Len Hutton on 160 not out and Maurice Leyland on 156. Hutton was still there at 300 not out at the end of day two with England’s score having moved to 634-5. (Strangely, three wickets had fallen for 9 runs including Paynter and Compton for just one run between them). When Hutton was finally out on the third day, he had scored a test record of 364 runs. And the fun wasn’t over as England added another 133 runs to declare at another record, of 903-7. One unfortunate bowler – Chuck Fleetwood-Smith – had bowled 87 overs for the dubious figures of 1 for 298.
Australian, at the end of a long tour and what must have seemed like an equally long time in the field, were tired and demoralised, and without Bradman in their ranks the England score must have looked like Mount Everest. They subsided in both innings to finish the game with a record defeat of an innings and 579 runs. The game may not have been the best spectacle or the most exciting, but if a young Norris McWhirter had been watching he would have seen much to delight him.
16. The edge that never was – Stuart Broad, Trent Bridge 2013
To paraphrase Shakespeare “to walk or not to walk, that is the question.” The answer for most professional cricketers is simple … not. If the ball makes a light contact as it passes the bat, most will wait to see if they can get away with it. Perhaps the bowling team won’t appeal; maybe the umpire might have missed it; it’s even possible that the DRS review may be inconclusive; maybe they’ve run out of reviews. In 2013, England bowling legend Stuart Broad decided not to walk… and he had not just had a faint edge, he’d virtually nicked the ball to first slip.
The setting was the first Test of the series at Trent Bridge, Broad’s home ground. The context was a very tight test in which England badly needed second innings runs in order to set Australia a testing target. That Australia were in the game at all was largely due to an astounding innings by their 19-year-old test debutant Ashton Agar. Coming to the crease at 117 for 9 he had broken all sorts of test records for a number 11, scoring 98 in a partnership of 163 that gave his team a wholly unexpected advantage. Little did Agar know, but he would also be a central character in the following day’s drama.
England were teetering at 218-6 when Broad, no longer thought of as much of a batsman, came out to join a well-set Ian Bell. England, only 153 ahead, needed Broad to stick around and support Bell for as long as he was able. And he did, with the pair having added 79 runs – enough to set a decent but still very gettable chase – when Agar bowled a short and wide off-spinner to Broad. Broad edged and the ball deflected off keeper Brad Haddin’s glove straight into first slip Michael Clarke’s hands. The Australians were so confident they barely bothered to appeal, but Broad stood his ground waiting for the umpire’s decision. And the decision, amazingly, was in his favour. Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar was in a very small minority who did not see the nick, possibly confused by the deflection off Haddin’s gloves. A DRS appeal would have shown a big nick, but the Aussies had used up all out of their reviews, so Broad stayed put.
Broad and Bell added a further 58 invaluable runs, enabling England to set Australia a target of 311 to win. In their chase, Australia looked down and out when, still 80 runs short, last man James Pattinson came out to join Haddin. With a mix, though, of dogged defence and some occasional hitting out, the pair took Australia to within an unlikely 15 runs of their target. With tremendous irony, it took a DRS review on a nick that the umpire had not seen – Haddin edging James Anderson to the keeper – to clinch the victory for England.
Broad remained blithely unapologetic about not walking. Had he not stood his ground, it’s unlikely England would have won the Test, and this would have made winning the series (which England did 3-0) considerably more difficult. It may not have been entirely within the spirit of cricket, but most England followers could not have cared less.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/the-ashes-stuart-broad-on-not-walking-at-trent-bridge-1381302
17. George Davis is innocent – Headingley, 1975
In 1974 the London Electricity Board (LEB) offices in Ilford were subject to an armed payroll robbery. Four people were accused of the crime, but only one, George Davis, was convicted, being handed a 20-year prison sentence. Friends and family, however, believed that the conviction was unsafe, and that the police had suppressed evidence that might have exonerated Davis. They mounted a campaign centred around the slogan ‘George Davis is innocent’.
The case came to the wider attention of the public during the third Ashes Test of 1975 played at Headingley. Australia had won the first Test well at Edgbaston (a test noteworthy for Graham Gooch bagging a pair on debut) then held on for a draw at Lords. England had had the best of the Headingley test, setting Australia a target of 445 with almost two days of play remaining. At close of day four, the visitors had progressed to 220-3 and the match was poised for a potentially thrilling final day.
The drama was never to take place. Groundsmen arrived for their day’s work to find the pitch had been vandalised overnight with holes dug out and oil poured in by Davis’s supporters. The pitch was irreparable so the match was abandoned and called a draw. As it happens, the game would probably have finished that way anyway as it rained heavily from noon to 4pm, but cricket fans around the world were nevertheless upset and disgusted.
Davis was eventually released from prison although his conviction was not actually overturned. And it transpired that he may well not have been the innocent victim of justice that his supporters claimed him to be. In 1978 he pleaded guilty to involvement in an armed raid and was sent to jail, then after his release he was again jailed in 1987 for robbery. The campaigners who dug up the pitch were also tried and one, Peter Chappell, jailed for 18 months. Most cricket fans would have been glad to see both Chappell and Davis convicted – never mind the armed robbery, they had spoiled our enjoyment of a test match.
18. The hundredth hundred – Geoffrey Boycott, Headingley 1977
It’s fair to say that Geoffrey Boycott was not everyone’s cup of tea. A determined and disciplined opening batsman, he made his debut for his home county Yorkshire, then the dominant force in county cricket, aged only 21, and his first appearance for England just two years later. Despite the weight of runs that he scored throughout his career, he was never entirely accepted by his teammates and fans. Although he never gave his wicket away without a fight, he also had a reputation for scoring runs slowly, sometimes at the expense of his team’s requirements. And his introverted and focused personality meant that he could be seen as aloof and selfish. During his career he fell out at some point or another with many other strong personalities in the game.
He had nevertheless been a regular presence in the England team for a decade until 1974 when he made himself unavailable for selection. He claimed that he had lost his appetite for Test cricket but it was thought that he did not want to play under captain Mike Denness, a player he considered unworthy of playing for his country. (It may also have been that he did not fancy facing Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee bowling 90+ mph.) He was out of the team for three years before a loss of form from opener Dennis Amiss caused the selectors to reach again for his phone number. His much anticipated return was to be at Trent Bridge against Australia in 1977. (Coincidentally this was also Ian Botham’s debut.)
Boycott’s impact was certainly dramatic. England were struggling at 34/2 when Nottinghamshire hero Derek Randall joined Boycott at the crease. 18 runs were added before Boycott, a notoriously poor runner between the wickets, caused Randall to be run out. With the crowd calling for blood, Boycott somehow redeemed himself by scoring a century and constructing match-winning partnerships with first Alan Knott then, in the second innings, Mike Brearley to lead England to a Test win.
One Test later and Boycott was on more familiar territory, his home ground of Headingley, where he was adored by fans whatever his idiosyncrasies. He had an opportunity to achieve something never before done in the game – to score his hundredth hundred in a Test match. He moved relatively serenely to his fifty then, with the crowd getting more excited with every run, closed in on his hundred. Finally he was presented with a half volley from occasional bowler, Greg Chappell, and a sweet on-drive for four took him to his landmark. Cries of ‘Yorkshire, Yorkshire’ rang out around the stadium as Boycott celebrated. He had done it when he wanted it and where he wanted it, and even those who did not warm to the man could appreciate his achievement.
19. The wide – Steve Harmison, 2006/7 Brisbane
In 2005 England’s bowlers had put a marker down in the first test of the Ashes with some of the most aggressive bowling seen since the infamous bodyline series. Chief assailant had been Durham’s Steve Harmison who struck both Australian openers, Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden, on their body in his first three overs, before rattling captain Ricky Ponting’s helmet still within the first hour. The message was ‘we mean business’ and, although the Lords test was lost, the approach was critical to England’s series victory.
When England travelled to Australia to defend the Ashes just over a year later, they would have wanted to make a similar statement. At Brisbane, the venue for the first test, Steve Harmison was again chosen to bowl the first over, and as at Lords he faced Australian opener, Langer. If Langer had been concerned he need not have been. Harmison delivered a ball so wide it ended in the hands of England captain, Andrew Flintoff, at SECOND slip!
It was, sadly, a taste of things to come. Harmison bowled poorly all innings and Australia strolled to a total of 602/9, setting themselves up for a massive win. And things did not improve much in the rest of the series. Australia dominated with bat and ball and more than gained revenge for 2005 with a 5-0 whitewash. Harmison later said “I can’t think of a worse ball to bowl than that. In fact, I can’t remember ever bowling a ball as bad as that. I guess it set the tone.” Sadly, Steve, it did.
20. The legend departs – Don Bradman / Eric Hollies, The Oval 1948
For a lover of statistics there can be no more satisfying sport to follow than cricket. The game is built on numbers, and there’s an inexhaustible variety of ways of looking at and analysing the game and the performance of the teams/players/umpires/grounds/etc in it. Within the world of cricketing statistics, there is one that stands out above all other, that of Don Bradman’s batting average in tests. Bradman, after a stellar career of 52 tests and 80 innings finished with a batting average of 99.94, exactly four runs short of a career average of 100!
Bradman’s final series was with the all-conquering Australians on their historic 1948 tour to England. Tours in this era were whole season affairs and Australia played 34 matches on this, winning 25, many by huge margins, drawing nine and losing none! Known as ‘the Invincibles’ they are often judged to be the greatest Australian side of all-time. Bradman, although in the latter stages of his career, was still ‘the Don’. He was top run scorer on the tour with 11 hundreds and averaged just under 90. In the first four tests he had scored two hundreds and over 500 runs.
The final test was played at the Oval. Already 3-0 down and with the series lost, England looked beaten and demoralised. After a start delayed by rain they subsided to their second lowest total in tests, a miserable 52 all out. Australia’s openers, Sid Barnes and Arthur Morris, passed that total without alarm and when Barnes fell for 61, out stepped the great man. Bradman had given notice that this was to be his last tour so he was greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd and a guard of honour from the England team who saluted him with three cheers.
Perhaps Bradman had a tear in his eye, or lost his concentration. Whether that was true or not, his second ball was a googly from Eric Hollies, the Warwickshire leg-spinner playing his seventh test match. For once, Bradman’s impenetrable defence let him down and he was clean bowled. He returned to the pavilion to another standing ovation from the crowd, but with a rare duck to his name.
Had England batted better in their second innings Bradman might have had a chance to score the four runs he needed for his average. Instead, they lost by an innings so he was left stranded. Perhaps it’s better that way – 99.94 is so much more memorable than 100.
21. The snarling redemption – Mitchel Johnson, Australia
In 2009 Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson had the unwanted distinction of having a song dedicated to him by the Barmy Army. It was not a good one “He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right, Mitchell Johnson, your bowling is sh*te!”. Johnson had taken 20 wickets on the 2009 tour to England, but had gone at just almost four an over. Then in the 2010/11 home series he had again conceded plenty of runs, although he had shown his potency in one match, bowling his team to their only victory in the series in Perth.
Johnson was dropped for disciplinary reasons for the 2013 tour to England, but was back in the side for the return in Australia that winter. If Johnson was looking for revenge against the old enemy, he got it, and some. Aggressive, angry, accurate and above all, fast, Johnson was close to unplayable.
England probably arrived as favourites after winning the home series 3-0. It did not take long for Johnson to shatter any confidence they might have felt. England had a strong batting line-up but they were no match for a fired-up Johnson at Brisbane. Alongside another bowler going through the purplest of patches, Ryan Harris, Johnson helped skittle the tourists out for 136 and 179. The second test at Adelaide, on a docile pitch where Australia had scored 570, saw him take another seven wickets to bowl England out for 172. Perth, venue for the third test, saw an improved performance from England but another six wickets for Johnson and a third consecutive win for his team. Eight wickets in the fourth test and another six in the fifth saw him to 37 wickets in the series at an average of just under 14, the third lowest average in Ashes history.
Johnson had driven Australia to a 5-0 series victory and total domination over England. For Johnson, after the taunts and jibes, it must have been super-satisfying. The song was rarely sung again.
22. The rebound – Geoff Miller / Chris Tavare, Melbourne 1982/83
There was a period at the end of the 1970s and start of the 1980s in which Australian cricket went through something of a lull. World Series Cricket (1977-79) had decimated the team, and even after the game was reunited something was missing. England won three successive series from 1977 and travelled to Australia in 1982 having held the Ashes for five years. This time, though, Australia’s bowling was just a little sharper than England’s and the home side were 2-0 ahead with three Tests having been played.
The Boxing Day Test (the 4th) at Melbourne was a must-win for England if they were to have any chance of retaining the Ashes. After both first innings had been completed the scores were pretty even with a three run advantage to the home side. In their second innings, England’s lower order battled well to set Australia a target of 292 to win.
The game looked done and dusted when Australia’s ninth wicket fell and fast bowler Jeff Thomson walked out to join Allan Border with 74 runs still needed. Great fast bowler that he was (or certainly had been) Thommo was no great shakes as a batsman, and Border himself had not been in the best of form. But, with England offering easy singles to Border that he often turned into twos, the target began to be whittled down. 74 became 60 then 50 then 40 then as stumps were drawn on day four just 37 were required.
When the gates opened on day five, 10,000 Melburnians turned up hoping to see Australia gain an unlikely victory. Despite England taking the new ball, Border and Thomson continued to chip away at the total. The crowd swelled, getting close to 20,000, and every run was cheered enthusiastically. England’s bowlers looked out of ideas and energy. Then with only six runs required Bob Willis found his range. He conceded a two to Border but managed to prevent a single at the end of the over meaning that Thomson would have to face a new over from Ian Botham.
Botham, as so often in his career, got lucky. He bowled a ball short of a length and a little wide of the off stump. A better batsman would simply have left it but Thomson dangled his bat and caught an edge. The ball went straight to second slip Chris Tavare. Tavare, perhaps letting the occasion get to him, got both hands to the ball but felt it bounce out and over his head. He turned despairingly where he saw first slip Geoff Miller react smartly and run round to snaffle the catch. Tavare might have dropped the Test, but Miller had caught it. England had won by only three runs.
23. Warner on toast – Stuart Broad / David Warner, 2019 series
The 2019 Ashes series was a cracker, finishing two Tests apiece and featuring one of, if not the greatest test innings of all time from Ben Stokes at Headingley. If a series draw was something of a disappointment for England fans, one massive consolation came from the struggles of the player on the Australian side, whom we all loved to hate, opener David Warner.
Warner had burst into Test cricket in 2011 with almost no first-class experience. A combative and buccaneering batsman, his reputation had been earned in T20 and one day cricket when the Australian selectors, clearly seeing something in him, chose him to open for the Test side. He got off to a flying start in his debut series against New Zealand and never looked back.
Warner’s aggressive approach, always in the face of his opponents whether batting or fielding, did not endear him to England fans, but his role of lead anti-hero was cemented in 2013 when he got involved in an off-field fracas with Joe Root. It was reinforced when he was suspended from Test cricket for his role in ‘sandpapergate’. When it was announced that his return after suspension was to come on Australia’s 2019 to England, home fans rubbed their hands in anticipation of giving him a supremely hard time from the stands.
Their barracking turned out to be somewhat unnecessary. Warner was terrible, and to rub salt into his wound, his nemesis was Australian anti-hero from 2013, Stuart Broad. Broad had worked out a strategy to defeat Warner and it worked. Bowling round the wicket and aiming to land the ball outside off stump on a full length, he took Warner’s wicket seven times in the series, caught behind (three times), LBW (three) and bowled. The Aussie left-hander ended the series with the lowest runs ever (by far) of any opener to play at least 10 innings in a series and his average facing Broad was a dismal 5.00. Warner played Test cricket for another four years after 2019, but was never again a dominant force against England.
24. The first baller – Rory Burns / Mitchell Starc, 2021/2 Brisbane
In 2019 England and Australia had played out one of the classic Ashes series, illuminated with Ben Stokes’ epic match-winning innings at Headingley. The teams had looked evenly matched throughout, and whilst a 2-2 series result will have delighted neither team, it was a fair reflection of the balance of play through the summer. Two years on and England travelled down under with the some optimism that this visit might be more successful than their previous one, a 4-0 series defeat in 2017/8. The optimism lasted about 30 seconds.
The England opening partnership was not their strongest. At the bowler’s end stood Haseeb Hameed, a once promising teenager recalled after a five year gap. Facing the first ball, left-hander Rory Burns, possessor of an idiosyncratic and (let’s be honest) unattractive technique, but normally a solid defender of his wicket. Not today.
Experienced left-armer Mitchell Starc was given the task of bowling the first ball of the series. It looked like he had presented Burns with a juicy half-volley down the leg side and the batsman duly stepped across his stumps to clip it away. Burns, though, completely missed the ball as it swung back to clip his leg stump. The series had started with a golden duck and a tone was set. Australia bowled superbly throughout and England’s batsmen presented little in return and a 5-0 series whitewash was averted only by a last ditch England rearguard at Sydney.
Burns was dropped after two tests but recalled for the last as his opening partner Hameed had completely run out of runs. Burns’ reward – to be run out for a duck in what proved to be his final test for his country.
25. The substitute II – Sydney Copley, Trent Bridge 1930
If Gary Pratt (see above) is a footnote in cricket history, then Syd Copley is probably a toe-note. Copley was a cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire second team between 1924-31. He managed to break into the first team for one solitary game, against Oxford University in 1930. His first-class career therefore comprises seven runs in two innings and no wickets for 28. Hardly the stuff of legend.
He did, however, do something extraordinary and significant in an England shirt. It was the first Test of the Australia series at Trent Bridge. Copley, on the Notts groundstaff, was called upon to field in place of Harold Larwood who had fallen ill with gastritis. Australia were chasing a record 429 to win, but with Don Bradman and Stan McCabe at the crease for the fourth wicket, they looked in with a chance. Then came Copley’s intervention. Fielding at deep mid-on he saw McCabe strike a ball from Maurice Tate to long-on. Wisden described it thus: “(he) made a lot of ground, took the ball at full-length and, although rolling over, retained possession.” His catch proved to be the turning point of the match which England went on to win by 93 runs.
Oddly enough (and this will appeal only to those of a certain disposition), another member of the groundstaff, this time at Lords, made another famous catch in 1984. West Indian Malcolm Marshall hooked Bob Willis and the substitute took a superb one-handed catch, only spoiling the act by stepping over the boundary as he took it. The fielder this time not Copley, but (Don) Topley.