Known as the mother of all Test match battles, Ashes is again on the horizon. England has failed to win the last two Ashes series thanks to mediocre batting displays. It lost the 2019-20 series 2-2 and was thrashed Down Under by a margin of 4-0. The results meant that the Urn stayed with Australia.
Ashes 2023
The all-important Test series between arch-rivals Australia and England will begin on June 16 at Edgbaston. Ahead of Ashes 2023, Australia undoubtedly has momentum thanks to the crushing win over India in the World Test Championship final at the Oval.
On the other hand, don’t take hosts England lightly. The Ben Stokes-led team is yet to lose a series under head coach Brendon McCullum, who took over from Chris Silverwood last year.
We look back at three top Ashes Test matches played in England, which witnessed nail-biting finishes. Meanwhile, bet during the Ashes 2023 on your favorite online cricket betting platform.
Top Three Ashes Test Matches in Recent History
Ashes produced many thrilling Test matches. Though the previous edition of the Ashes was heavily one-sided, it is expected to be an evenly-contested series this time. Here are three of the most thrilling Ashes Test matches played in England in recent history:
Headingley (2019):
Ben Stokes saw England home in one of the most intense chases as the hosts beat Australia by just a wicket. Needing 359 for a win, England was 286/9 when the all-arounder combined with Jack Leach to take his team to an improbable victory.
Stokes was eventually adjudged Man of the Match for his all-round performance, which saw him score an unbeaten 135. Moreover, he also picked up four wickets in the game. England was bundled out for just 67 in their first innings, and despite this, the hosts leveled the series at Leeds.
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Edgbaston (2005)
In one of the most pulsating encounters, hosts England beat Australia by just two runs. It was the second Test match of the Ashes 2005, and the visitors had a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Nevertheless, England made a solid comeback, accounting for 407 in the first innings, after which Australia responded with 308 runs.
In the second innings, England was shot out for 182, setting Australia a target of 282. The Kangaroos had a horrendous start, with the top eight batters failing to reach fifty. But tail-enders Michael Kasprowicz and Brett Lee hung on and almost saw Australia home. With two needed, the former gloved Steve Harmison to the keeper, sending the Edgbaston crowd into a frenzy.
Cardiff (2009)
It was the series opener of the 2009 Ashes series, and the hosts wanted to make the most of it by winning the match, which meant an early lead. England had managed to post a total of 435 in the first innings. In reply, as many as four Australians hit centuries—Ricky Ponting, Simon Katich, Marcus North, and Brad Haddin, helping Australia to 674/6.
With a lead of 239 runs, the hosts were on the back foot, but England fought hard thanks to Paul Collingwood’s 74. However, the real heroes were the tail-enders: James Anderson and Monty Panesar. The duo faced 88 balls between them and averted what looked like a morally crushing loss.
It was Panesar who played the final ball of the day with a dead bat, sending the whole stadium into a frenzy. England drew the match and eventually won the Ashes under the captaincy of Andrew Strauss.
Concluding Thoughts
Ashes is one of the world’s most-watched sporting events, and there is a reason for it. Australia-England rivalries became even more intense in 1882 when the visiting Australian team beat the hosts at the Oval. It was their maiden victory on English soil. It infuriated the English media so much that one of the newspapers wrote an obituary of English cricket in its aftermath.
The obituary read: “The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.” With the English team set to visit Australia the same year, the then-England captain promised the nation that he wouldn’t return without ‘regaining those Ashes.’ Eventually, the word Ashes has struck ever since.
