Once every two years, England and Australia play host to the Ashes, the oldest and most prestigious test series in cricket. Since 1882, these two cricket-mad countries have battled it out over five matches to claim the coveted Ashes urn and national glory. As can be seen, a large number of test matches have been played between these two countries.
According to ashes cricket reviews, cricket fans in England and Australia have seen several thrilling Ashes test matches. While that is happening right now in Australia, England is not faring well. Let’s rank the greatest Ashes test matches of all time.
1. The Oval, 1882: The Ashes Are Born
The now-famous first test seems to be a good place to start. Australia, which at the time was a British colony, came to England to play at The Oval. Since the English had never been beaten in their own country, history was clearly on their side.
Australia chose to bat first after they won the toss, but they were quickly and easily bowled out for only 63 runs. The next team to bat was England, and they got off to a great start. But when Fred Spofforth, an Australian bowler, entered the game, he took seven wickets, ruining England’s good start and bringing their total score down to 101.
As Australia’s second innings ended with 122 runs, England only needed 85 runs to win the Test. Even though it looked like England was going to win easily, Spofforth came through for Australia. He finished by getting seven more people out, which meant England could only score 77 runs. The Australians won by 8 runs, which was their first victory ever in England.
The loss must have been terrible for the English. It was a turning point for Australia, and the best sports newspaper in the country, The Sporting Times, made a joke that English cricket was dead and that its ashes would be burned and sent to Australia. So, the English media have said that England’s next trip to Australia will be a mission to get those ashes back. Because of this, the Ashes as they know them today were made.
2. Headingley, 1948: The Epic Chase
If this game went to extra time, it would be a turning point for the Ashes again. England lost 8 wickets while scoring 365 runs in their second innings. This put them 4 wickets ahead of Australia and 404 runs ahead of the game. The English captain, Norman Yardley, was so sure that his team would win that he stopped the innings and sent Australia to bat. Australian cricketers Arthur Morris and Sir Don Bradman, who both scored a century, helped reach the goal that seemed impossible to reach. The fact that England’s bowling and fielding were not very good helped them a little. But the grand chase still has the highest score of any Ashes team.
3. Sydney, 1894: Twists and Turns –
Another important Test match from the 1800s, this one is notable because it was the first time a team won after having to bat second. In their first innings, Australia scored 586 runs, which put them in the lead. England could only reply with 325, so the game had to go on. England got 437 points in their second innings. Albert Ward scored 100 of those points. Even so, all Australia had to do to win was score 177 runs.
4. Old Trafford, 1993: The Ball of the Century –
The next big event in the history of the Ashes and cricket won’t happen for almost a hundred years. In the first Test of the 1993 series, it was said that a future legend was coming. Shane Warne was almost unknown in England before he got there, but that changed quickly. In his first Ashes Test, he got England’s top batsman and expert at facing spin spinners, Mike Gatting, out with his first ball. Gatting was a specialist at facing spin spinners.
But Warne’s delivery knocked the bail off the stumps after pitching the outside leg and getting some traction. Everyone in Old Trafford was, of course, shocked, and Gatting was no different. “The ball of the century” became a common way to talk about the ball.
5. Bradman Fails at The Oval in 1948
Although the host side in this Test match suffered horrendous innings losses, the encounter will be remembered for another reason. The legendary Australian batsman Sir Don Bradman, who is sometimes referred to as the finest of all time, was four runs away from an astounding career average of 100. Nobody else, either before or after, has ever accomplished anything like that.
6. Adelaide 1933: A Shameful Moment
The English have a good name for being good sports and playing fair. But during the Ashes series in 1932 and 1933, that reputation would fall apart in front of a shocked public. To beat Australia’s dangerous opening batters, England’s bowlers used so-called “bodyline” techniques. The bowlers mostly went for the Australians’ upper bodies and heads. At any time, this plan would be seen as wrong by everyone.
7. The Oval, 2005: KP Ensures Victory –
On both teams, there were a lot of famous people, and they fought like hell to win the trophy. Up until this point, the series had been close, with England just ahead 2-1. If Australia won, the series would end in a tie. This would give Australia control of the Ashes for another two years.
8. Sophia Gardens, 2009: The Great Escape –
Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, which is home to the Glamorgan Cricket Club, hosted the first Ashes Test match in Wales in 2009. It would be a great honor to bring the series to Wales. England was ahead by 239 runs, but Australia’s huge declared score of 674/6 made up for it.
9. Edgbaston, 2005: Narrow Margins –
This was the second Test of the famous Ashes series from 2005. Australia had a 1-0 lead, so England had to win in Birmingham to keep Australia from taking a commanding 2-0 lead. After giving Australia a manageable target of 282 in their last innings, the home team’s middle order fell apart, which gave England strong reason to think they had tied the series.
10. Headingley, 1981: The Greatest of Them All –
The third Ashes Test in 1981 was without a doubt the best Test match ever played. England may have sometimes felt like they had no chance, but they fought like bulldogs against their old enemy. Australia took a commanding 1-0 lead in the series after England had to bat again. Bookmakers were so sure that Australia would win that they gave England odds of 500-1 to win after falling behind 3-0.
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