Top Ten: Ashes Moments
Kate Enock
Posted on: 25 June 2009 - 16:17
Cricket
The Ashes - five tests, twenty two players, one small urn for the winner, and nothing for the loser. It is far more than just a sporting rivalry. Every two years England and Australia battle it out on cricket’s greatest stage not just for victory, but for the pride of a nation. The Ashes is a unique sporting spectacle of skill, tactics, determination and utter brilliance. Here are our Top 10 Ashes moments….
1. “Body Line”-1932: England had one aim for this tour; to remove Don Bradman, who had scored 974 runs in the previous series (still the record), from the crease. Perfectly legal under the laws of cricket at the time, England won the series 4-1 and Bradman’s average was halved, yet the hostility of their tactics caused outrage. There were crowd riots and complaints from Australia’s government to the Prime Minister. England captain Douglas Jardine was sacked by the MCC, and the main bowler, Harold Larwood who had just been following instructions, never played for England again.
2. A magnificent fightback-1936/1937: England were 2-0 up until Bradman, captaining Australia for the first time, made 270, 212 and 169 in the next three matches. Australia won the series and Bradman secured his position as cricket’s greatest player.
3. Farewell Don-1948: As Bradman walked out at The Oval, the England players gave him three cheers. He needed 4 runs to have an average of 100 in Test Cricket, but instead he was bowled for a duck. He walked off to a silent crowd, stranded in incomplete perfection on 99.94.
4. Laker’s 19 wickets-1956: Described by Richie Benaud as, “one of the most sensational bowling performances of all time,” Laker took 19 wickets in the third test at Old Trafford with his old-fashioned off-spin, a feat that will probably never be surpassed in an Ashes series.
5. Lillee and Thompson-1974/5: England went in to the 1974 series thinking Australia lacked any first class pace. After having a series of bouncers bowled at him, Lillee got riled, declaring, “Just remember they started it. But I’ll bloody finish it.” This was the cue for a ferocious onslaught of short-pitched bowling from Thompson and Lillee as they destroyed England to give Australia a 4-1 series win.
6. Botham’s Ashes-1981: After being forced to resign as captain following the first two tests, Botham came to the crease at Headingly with England 135 for 7, needing 122 to avoid an innings defeat. He went on to play one of the greatest innings of all time, ending up on 142 not out and giving England a lead of 142. Bob Willis then skittled out Australia taking 8-43 and England won by 18 runs. Botham continued to be the star of the series with a devastating spell at Edgbaston of 5 wickets for 1 run in 28 balls.
7. Ball of the century-1993: Shane Warne bowled his first ball in Test Cricket against England on June 4th. Mike Gatting was the batsman. The ball swerved from off stump to just outside Gatting’s leg stump, then spun back and clipped the top of the off bail. Batsman think of it as the ball from hell, whereas leg spinners see it as the ball from heaven. The blonde haired terror from Melbourne had arrived.
8. Warne’s hat-trick-1994: Warne was up to his old tricks again terrorising the English batsman on the fifth day at the MCG, dismissing Phil DeFreitas, Darren Gough and Devon Malcolm in consecutive balls. It was the first hat-tick by an Australian in the Ashes for 90 years, and England were bowled out for 92.
9. Sporting spirit-2005: The second Test at Edgbaston was one of the greatest ever. Having put on 104 runs for the ninth and tenth wicket, Australia only needed 3 more to win, when Harmison had Kasprowicz caught behind. Whilst England’s players celebrated madly, Flintoff took a time out to console Brett Lee, Australia’s devastated not-out batsman. The moment became the iconic image of a truly wonderful Ashes series.
10.Vintage Gilchrist-2007: Already two up in the series, Gilchrist enforced Australia’s dominance with a truly outstanding display of aggressive batting, pummelling Panesar for 24 runs in one over. He went on to score a 57-ball hundred, the second fastest Test century ever.