August 1938: Spectators clapping Australian cricketer Sir Don Bradman (1908 - 2001) as he comes out during the 4th Test Match at Headingley, Leeds. Sir Donald Bradman was the first cricketer to be knighted in 1949 for his services to cricket. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)
Boasting one of the oldest sporting traditions globally, the Ashes are one of the sport's most significant battles.
The birth of the Ashes has been passed down through families for generations, and it all started in 1882 when Australia defeated a full-strength England XI for the first time on English soil. As is a common trend in the 21st century, the English media condemned their chargers for such a catastrophic failure, publishing a satirical obituary in the Sporting Times.
'In affectionate remembrance of English cricket which died at The Oval, 29 August 1882'.
-N.B. The body will be cremated, and the Ashes taken to Australia'.
With the sudden death of English Cricket, one man was hell-bent on reclaiming the urn, and his name was The Hon. Ivo Bligh. Akin to King Arthur searching for the Holy Grail, Bligh embarked on the noblest sporting quest and captained England to the 1882/83 Ashes victory on down under.
As the story goes, Bligh was celebrating Christmas at the Rupertswood Manor, the elaborate home of Sir William Clarke, when he was presented the burnt bails of the Third Test in a tiny terracotta urn by his future wife, Florence Morphy.
Australian sports journalist Clarence Murphy revived the concept of 'The Ashes' in the 1890s. It became an integral part of the Australian/England rivalry when English captain Pelham Warner published a novel after his resounding 1903-04 Tour win titled 'How We Recovered the Ashes.'
Specific Tests have been played that will go down in the annals of the long history. Some have shocked us, some have enthralled us, some have devastated us. Let's look into the Top 10 Greatest Ashes Tests in History and dive into the players who created their own history.
Only Test, The Oval, 28-29 August (Australia won by 7 runs)
Australia 63 (80 overs), 122 (63) & England 101 (71.3), 77 (55).
The Test that changed the course of history.
Fred' The Demon' Spofforth's match figures of 14-90 were an Australian record for 90 years. Spofforth could do just about anything with the ball, and the English knew that after he decimated them down-under in the 1879-80 Ashes claiming the first Test hat-trick in history. When the Australians arrived on English shores, the public gave their colonial 'step-brothers' little chance of victory.
Winning the toss Australian captain Billy Murdoch elected to bat first, and his troopers were rolled for a paltry score of 63 from 80 (four-ball overs). Opener Alec Bannerman made nine runs in 70 minutes at the wicket, and left-arm medium-pacer Dick Barlow was the chief destroyer with 5-19 off 31 overs (22 maidens). By stumps, the English had accumulated a score of 101 from 70 overs, 'The Demon' had already made his presence felt bowling 36.3 overs straight, taking 7-46.
Rain overnight proved an issue for the English bowlers struggling to land their feet on the wet crease. Australian opener Hugh Massie took advantage of the bowlers' dismay and made a gutsy 55 from 60 balls. Yet, the match reached another level when the Great W.G. Grace unfairly ran out 20-year-old Australian all-rounder Sammy Jones who left his crease to garden the wicket.
With history as our witness, upsetting a fast-bowler in form is never a good idea, and Spofforth was physically breathing fire in the dressing rooms proclaiming to his teammates, "I swear to you, England will not win this".
Setting a relatively low target of 85 for victory, England had crawled their way to 2-51, and with only 34 runs required, Spofforth had George Uylett caught behind for 11, and medium-pacer Harry Boyle removed the dangerous Grace for 32. The last man in Ted Peate calmly got off the mark with a two yet found his stumps castled by Boyle with seven runs still required. Spofforth was chaired off the pitch after bowling from one end for the entire match, finishing with 14-90 from 64.3 overs.
The next day, the English media labeled the fourth innings collapse as the death of English Cricket, and the rest they say is history.
Third Test, Headingley, 27-1 July (Match Drawn)
Australia 566 (168) & England 391 (175.2) 3/95 (51.5)
Bad weather prevented a result for his Third Test, yet the English crowd was already treated to the finest Test innings in history when Sir Don Bradman became the first and only Test cricketer to make 300 runs in a day.
Fresh off 254-runs in the second Test at Lords, the most magnificent batter in Test history was not finished as he walked to the Headingley crease on day one of the Third Test. The pain had already started early when Bradman cruised to 105 at Lunch, and by the end of day one, Bradman became the second test cricketer to hit the 300 mark.
By the time he was caught behind for 334, Bradman had only faced 448 balls and hit a boundary every 12 minutes. In reply, England made 391 from 175.2 overs, batting for nearly two days due to unstoppable rain, and finished their second innings 3/95 off 51.5 overs.
Sir Don finished the 1930 Ashes series with a record 974 runs at 139.14 from five Tests and finished the English summer with 2960 at 98.66 and 10 centuries, a remarkable feat for a touring cricketer.
First Test, Brisbane, 1-4 December (Australia won by 70 runs)
Australia 228 (55.5) 7/32 (13.5) dec & England 7/68 (22) dec 122 (68)
The most remarkable scoreline in Test cricket history.
England found themselves on top early, rolling the Australians for 228, Alec Bedser claiming 4/45 from 16.5 (8-ball overs). After Australia's paltry score of 228, no ball was bowled on the Woolloongabba wicket for two days, with no cricket on Sundays due to the 'rest day' initiative, which lasted more than 100 years. The wicket, which was protected by the covers, had developed significant amounts of moisture, and play on day three was delayed until Lunch.
The English batted 22 overs for 7/68 before captain Freddy Brown declared their innings at half-past 3. Brown knew the pitch had some tricks, and in only 13.5 overs, Australia lost seven wickets for 32 runs before Australian captain Lindsay Hassett declared, setting England 192 for an improbable victory.
Early wickets to leg-spinner Jack Iverson saw England slide their legendary batting veteran Len Hutton down the order to resurrect their innings at number eight. With the scores, 6/30, Hutton already had his work cut out for him and put on 31 runs for the ninth wicket with Captain Brown. By the time Iverson had number 11 Doug Wright edge to Ray Lindwall for two runs, Len Hutton had masterfully made his way to 62 in 90 minutes, giving the spectators one of the most impressive Ashes victories in history.
Fourth Test, Headingley, 22-27 July (Australia won by 7 wickets)
England 496 (192.1) 8/365 (107) dec & Australia 458 (136.2) 3/404 (114.1)
The 1948 Ashes Series is well-remembered as the 'Invincibles Tour', across five months in the United Kingdom, the Australian touring side played 34 matches, winning 25 and drawing nine.
Overshadowed by the entire tour, Australia chased down the most significant required target in history in the fourth Test and did it convincingly, losing only three wickets in the process. With 404 required in less than a day, Arthur Morris and Don Bradman put on 301 in 217 minutes of exquisite batsmanship, Morris making 182 (132 coming in fours). With 15 minutes remaining, the Australians passed the total, Bradman 173 off 292 balls with 29 fours.
Fourth Test, Adelaide, 1-8 February (England won by 12 runs)
England 334 (183.1) 383 (200.4) & Australia 369 (160) 336 (151.5)
The 1928-29 Ashes Series lasted five months. Known historically as the War of Attrition, the English brought over their finest ensemble of batters with one target in mind. Batting the Australian bowlers into oblivion.
Three of the five Tests feature in the top five for most deliveries bowled in a test. The Adelaide Test was no exception, with 4174 deliveries bowled. Left-arm off-spinner Jack White bowled 749 of those deliveries. In the first innings, England made 334 from 183.1 overs, and Australia responded with 369 from 160 overs, White claiming figures of 5/130 off 60 overs. England then batted another 200 overs setting Australia a target of 348 for victory. This target was definitely achievable for the Australians as these Tests were timeless. The Australian's finished day six with 6/260 on the board and only 88 runs off a memorable victory. Bowling in scorching heat, White toiled through 64.5 overs, claiming 8/126, dismissing number 11 46-year-old Don Blackie for a duck with 12 runs still required.
First Test, SCG, 14-20 December (England won by 10 runs)
Australia 586 (172.3) 166 (68) & England 325 (140.3) 437 (181.4)
The first Test victory in history after the opposition asked them to follow on. Since 1877, it has happened three times, and Australia has lost each time. Remarkably, England won after a 261 first-innings deficit (this was a record for 108 years).
Struggling on day one at 3/21, all-rounder George Giffen with 161 and Syd Gregory 85 not out, powered the Australians to 5/346 at stumps. Australia then finished with a monster total of 586, Gregory ended up with 201, and captain-keeper Jack Blackman made 74 batting at number 10.
Fast-bowler Tom Richardson bowled himself to exhaustion with 5/181 off 55.3 overs. England replied with 325 and was asked to follow on. Batting more so for a draw, the English crawled their way to 437 from 181.4 overs as the pitch flattened out. Stumps on day five, and the Australians were cruising at 2/113, requiring only 63 runs for victory.
A few rowdy Englishmen decided the game was lost and went out for a couple of drinks. Magical left-arm spinner Bobby Peel arrived at the ground on the final morning, still drunk from the night before. Peel was quickly thrown under an ice-cold shower to sober up after captain Andrew Stoddart inspected a soaking wet pitch that had been rained on during the night.
After sobering up from his ice-cold shower, Bobby Peel uttered the most famous statement in Ashes history.
""Give me the ball, Mr. Stoddart, and I'll have the buggers out before lunch," he said.
After a slow start to the morning, Peel removed Joseph Darling with 3/130 on the board for the Australians. With two minutes to the Lunch break, Australia had one of the worst collapses in history, losing 8/36 to be bowled out for 166.
They became the first country in history to lose after making the opposition follow on, and Bobby Peel's 6/67 off 30 overs earned him a hard-earned beverage.
England's opening batter Archie McLaren won £200 after throwing £4 on England to win 50:1.
Third Test, Adelaide, 13-19 January (England won by 338 runs)
England 341 (146.1) 412 (191.3) & Australia 222 (95.4) 193 (69.2)
Arguably the most controversial Test in history.
In 1932-33, the cunning English Captain Douglas Jardine developed a devious plan to take back the Ashes by force.
England's controversial leg-side theory, more commonly known as 'Bodyline,' was fast/short bowling aimed at the batter's body to intimidate them into a false shot.
This was theory was entirely developed for Don Bradman, who has seen above, embarrassed the English in 1930. Without Bradman for the First Test in Sydney, the Australians were soundly beaten yet leveled the series in Melbourne.
The hostilities of the tour reached their zenith in Adelaide in front of 50,962 spectators when Australian captain Bill Woodfull was dealt a dangerous blow above the heart by fire-brand quick Harold Larwood. Woodfull battled slowly to 22 runs before he was bowled by Larwood. In the rooms after his innings with 12th man Leo O'Brien, Woodfull was visited by the MCC manager Pelham Warner who expressed his concern for Woodfull; the captain retorted with...
"I don't want to see you, Mr. Warner. There are two teams out there, and one is trying to play cricket, and the other is not."
One of the most dangerous scenes was ever witnessed on day three when Australian wicket-keeper Bert Oldfield fractured his skull and fell to the ground after a searing delivery for Larwood. Police were rushed onto the field for crowd control and protection of the English side. The Australian Cricket Board sent a damning cable to the Marylebone Cricket Club, calling 'Bodyline' unsportsmanlike.
Jardine threatened to boycott the last two Tests due to the allegations. The stand-off between the two boards was eventually settled by Australia's own Prime Minister, Joseph Lyons. Imagine that in 2021.
*Below is the Adelaide episode of the Bodyline (1984) miniseries*
Second Test, Adelaide, 1-5 December (Australia won by 6 wickets)
England 6/551 (168) dec 129 (73) & Australia 513 (165.3) 4/168 (32.5)
The greatest victory in Australian Test cricket history.
England won the toss, batting first and batting all but nine overs of the first two days, building a score of 551. Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen shared 310 for the fourth wicket, which lasted 84.1 overs. Collingwood finished on 206 off 392 balls, and Pietersen made 158 off 257.
Two of Australia's finest bowlers of all time, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, had combined figures of 1/274 off 83 overs for the innings. With the pitch offering nothing for the bowlers thus far, Australia responded with 513, including 142 off 245 balls from Captain Ricky Ponting and 124 off 221 deliveries from Michael Clarke. 1/59 off 19 overs at stumps, the Test seemed to be dragging out towards a draw going into day five.
Enter, S.K. Warne.
With the free license to play around use his bag full of tricks, Warne opened the bowling on day five and produced his most extraordinary spell of bowling. Needing a bit of luck, Opener Andrew Strauss was caught at bat-pad by Michael Hussey, even though his bat or glove wasn't near the ball. First innings centurion Kevin Pietersen was next out, getting meticulously bowled off-stump around his legs.
Ashley Giles was next to go edging one to Matthew Hayden at first slip. The scores now read 6/97, with England's lead only at 135. Matthew Hoggard was bowled six overs later with the perfect wrong-un, and Shane Warne's spell of 4/19 off 25.5 overs had catapulted Australia into the territory of winning this Test. As the old saying goes, 'form is temporary, class is permanent' Warne and McGrath finished with figures of 6/64 off 42 overs in the second innings.
Australia required 168 from 36 overs for an unlikely victory and found themselves 2-33 early in the chase. Ponting pushed his way to 49 until Michael Hussey, and Michael Clarke put on 47 off the next 10 overs to chase the score with three overs to play. When he celebrated hitting the winning runs, Hussey's distinct roar still burns in the hearts of many Australian cricketing fans.
Third Test, Headingley, 16-21 July (England won by 18 runs)
Australia 9/401 (155.2) dec 111 (36.1) & England 174 (50.5) 356 (87.3)
Botham's Test.
Not many cricketers in history have bounced back considerably after being sacked of Test Captaincy, yet few cricketers like Sir Ian Botham have graced the cricket field. Botham resigned as captain after a 0-8-4 record from his 12 tests at the helm. Australian Captain Kim Hughes won the toss, elected to bat, and Australia put 401 on the board to make matters worse for the English.
Botham, who struggled in his first 13 overs, leaking 61 runs, bounced back the next day, bowling a longer spell (26.2 overs), taking 5/35. On day three, England was in licorice all-sorts, making 174 runs and lasting 50.5 overs (Botham was the only one to look comfortable at the wicket with 50 off 58 balls). Knowing his bowlers wouldn't bowl on Sunday, Hughes enforced the follow-on.
500:1.
These were the odds for an unlikely English victory, and the odds only became higher when Bob Taylor departed, leaving the scores 7/135, still 92 runs behind Australia.
Botham, who had slowly moved to 39, was inspired by his free-swinging teammate Graham Dilley and used his devastating power-hitting to a masterful century. When Dilley fell with a lead of 25, the number 10, Chris Old put on 67 vital runs with Botham and number 11, Bob Willis survived long enough for Botham to leave one last assault on the tired Aussie bowlers (fast-bowler Terry Alderman bowled 34.3 overs for the day). 'Beefy' had raced to 149, not out off 148 balls.
Australia now required 129 for victory and found themselves in a precarious position of 4/59 at Lunch. Botham and Old bowled fast spells, yet that pales into insignificance compared to Bob Willis's six-wicket, six-over spell after Lunch. With Australia reeling at 8/75, Dennis Lillee and Ray Bright added 35 for the ninth wicket until Lillee miscued a drive to mid-off, and Bright was comprehensively bowled by Willis, giving him his eighth wicket. England had pulled off the most remarkable Test heist victory imaginable.
Second Test, Birmingham, 2-7 August (England won by 2 runs)
England 407 (79.2) 182 (52.1) & Australia 308 (76) 279 (64.3)
The 2005 Ashes Series is the greatest Test Series in cricket history.
The all-conquering Australian outfit had powered themselves to a convincing 239-run victory in the First Test. On the morning of the Second Test, Ricky Ponting elected to bowl first, and in a matter of seconds, Glenn McGrath, who took 9/82 off 35.1 overs in the First encounter, stood on a cricket ball, ruling himself out.
Disaster for Australia.
Without the foreboding prospect of facing an in-form McGrath, England chanced their arm and smashed 407 at a run-rate of 5.13 in only 356 minutes, Australian quick Brett Lee finishing with 1/111 off 17. The Australians, in reply, made 308, still 99 runs behind England.
Shane Warne bobbed up for an over before stumps on day two and bowled Andrew Strauss with one of the sharpest spinning leggies ever seen. Starting day three with a lead of 124, England found themselves in a spot of bother reeling at 6/95 off 33 overs, Warne with figures of 3/34 off 14, and Brett Lee with 3/32 off 10. Australia struck again in the first over after Lunch before Andrew Flintoff, akin to Ben Stokes in 2019, lifted off with the tail swashbuckling his next 55 off his next 54 deliveries, putting on 51 for the last wicket with Simon Jones.
If you ever thought this Test could rise to another level, Australia was cruising at 0/47 until English captain Michael Vaughan brought Andrew Flintoff on for a bowl.
Flintoff clean bowled Justin Langer with his second ball, hit number three Ricky Ponting on the pads twice, bowled a no-ball with his 6th deliver, and edged Ponting behind for 0.
Matthew Hayden and Damien Martyn looked comfortable before falling, leaving Australia 4/107. The Australians suffered a middle-order collapse and went to stumps 8/175, still 106 off a memorable victory.
Warne and Lee, who brought Australia back into the game with the ball, took 45 off the first eight overs before Warne was remarkably given out hit-wicket.
What followed was the most nerve-wracking last wicket partnership ever seen.
Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz got together and stood up against the English pace attack of Flintoff, Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison, and Simon Jones. Searching for that one wicket-taking blow, the bowlers were pushing for that extra pace to knock over this last pair, and they were growing tired. The Australian duo took everything they could get, no-balls, leg byes, and a french cut for four from Lee. Nerves reached paramount levels when Simon Jones dropped Kasprowicz at third-man with 15 still required.
With the scores at 9/279, Steve Harmison was thrown the ball and delivered a searing short delivery which clipped the uncomfortable Kasprowicz on the glove and into the hands of Keeper Geraint Jones.
England had achieved a nail-biting two-run victory, the tightest Ashes victory in history, pandamonium hit Birmingham, unseen since the Beatles hit the Hippodrome.
As we roll into another Ashes chapter, which players will write themselves into the annals of cricketing history?
Heroes will make their mark, and their stories will live on for another 144 years.