By Fatima Fareeha
The much anticipated Ashes 2023 is right around the corner and the cricketing world could not be more excited.
In the twelve Ashes played since the year 2000, Australia have won six and England five, drawing one, played in 2019. As the arch rivals gear up for another battle, let us look at some of the most iconic Ashes moments:
Ashes 2005 – One For The Books
The 2005 Ashes, will forever be etched into the memories of cricket fans as arguably one of the best England performances in the recent past. The second text at Edgbaston is considered one of the best test games of all time. With Andrew Flintoff’s enthralling test hattrick. England won the match by 2 runs. They ended up winning the series 2-1, courtesy of Kevin Pietersen’s 158, not out, in the last test at The Oval, which ended in a draw and they were able to regain the Ashes after 16 long years.
Adelaide 2006: Australia turns it around
The second at test the Adelaide Oval in the 2006 series laid ground for one of Australia’s most iconic wins in the Ashes history. A match that looked like it would end up in the draw, was turned into a victory by Australia’s perseverance. At day four, England had eased up into the game, satisfied with the hopes of a draw. But Australia has other plans. In the second innings, England kept losing wickets and managed to total a target of a mere 168 runs, with 68 overs to obtain a draw. Openers, Hussey and Ponting were able to steady the innings, with Hussey and Clarke later carrying Australia to victory. The Aussies went on to win the Ashes with a 5-0 whitewash, their first since 1920/21.
Ashes 2009 – Anderson and Panesar’s Defensive Masterclass; Broad’s 5-wicket Haul Seal The Deal for England
The 2009 Ashes opener in Cardiff saw defensive magic from James Anderson and Monty Panesar. England won the toss and chose to bat, acquiring a total of 435 before handing over the bats to their rivals. By day 4, dark clouds loomed over, threatening play and to make matters worse, Ponting had declared Australian innings at a whopping total of 674/6. England wickets kept dropping. Hanging at 233-9, six runs away from an innings defeat, for 40 mins Jimmy and Monty defended, heart and soul, ultimately leading the match to a draw.
At the fifth test at The Oval, Stuart Broad’s five- wicket haul sealed the deal and England went on to win the series 2-1.
Ashes 2013/14 – Johnson’s Summer
Australia had lost the last three Ashes and were determined to perform this time around. Mitchell Johnson was named in the 2013/14 Ashes squad, having been dropped in the last, 2013 series. Johnson had a lot of pressure to deliver. And, deliver he did. Playing in all five tests, Johnson took a total of 37 wickets at an average of 13.97. He was named man of the series having taken at five-wicket haul each at Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne. He was pivotal in helping Australia whitewash their rivals and win the series 5-0 regaining the Ashes for the first time since 2006/07.
Ashes 2019: Smith’s Comeback and Stokesy’s Magic
Having served a one-year ban due to the ball tampering scandal Steve Smith served us with a comeback for the ages. He topped the batting charts with 774 runs in four tests and seven innings, comprising of 3 centuries and 3 fifties, his best score being 211. This was Smiths’ best Ashes performance till date.
But it wasn’t just Steve Smith who gave an extraordinary performance. English captain Ben Stokes’ performance in the third test as Headingley blew everyone away. Having lost an early string of wickets, England were at 286-9 while chasing 359, Ben Stokes and Jack Leach the last standing batsmen. Ben Stokes persevered till the end, tactfully retaining the strike. Facing Pat Cummins, with one run needed to win, Stokes swiftly cut the next ball from Cummins, through for a four, sealing an unfathomable victory for England; their best run chase, in test, till date.
This 2019 edition of the game ultimately ended in a draw, with Australia retaining the Ashes.
Both teams are in top form and all set to battle it out. Brendon McCullum’s England side, playing some of their best cricket in recent years, have made quite the buzz for their modern, aggressive approach to the test format. This new technique, adopted by them, fondly termed “Buzzball” employs a quick, high-stake attacking approach to the game.
While, on the other hand, Australia is all set to give a befitting reply. They sit at the top of test cricket rankings, having recently won the World Test Championship, convincingly beating their commonwealth rivals, India.
The much awaited 2023 Ashes is sure to be a cracker and it will be a please to watch the rivals in action. The first test starts today at 3:30 PM IST and is being played at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham, England.
