BackAshes 2015: Ten defining batting moments
The Ashes, over its majestic 133-year old history, has been defined by legendsnot just personalities, but the sheer intensity of the contest between the two sides
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It’s Ashes time in the ‘mother country’ (England) as English and Australian cricketers resume one of the most enduring sporting rivalries at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. Michael Clarke’s men currently hold the Ashes following their rout of England in Australia two years ago, in a series defined by Mitchell Johnson’s breathtaking display of left-arm pace bowling.
The series, over its majestic 133-year old history, has been defined by legends—not just personalities, but the sheer intensity of the contest between the two sides. And then there are performances that remain etched in memory, innings or spells, that have in their own little way gone on to define some of these legends.
Here are ten such innings:
1) Sir Donald Bradman—1936-37 (270 vs England at the MCG)
Bradman’s first series as Australian captain began on a disastrous note when his side lost the first two Tests in Brisbane and Sydney respectively. Utterly out of form himself (an un-Bradmanesque two ducks in four innings) and his captaincy coming under attack from the Australian press, Bradman went into the third Test a worried man. After being bundled out for 200, Australia, through Morris Sievers and Stan McCabe bowled England out for lowly 76. On a wet wicket, the Don decided to reverse his batting order, and protect some of Australia’s best batsman, including himself and opener Jack Fingleton. Australia were reduced to 97/5 when Keith Rigg fell. In walked Bradman at number 7 and Australia, already ahead by 221 runs and together with Fingleton, added 345 runs for the sixth wicket. That innings by The Don, wasn’t exactly his best in terms of fluency. To adjust to the wet pitch, he kept his off-drives off, and went about accumulating his runs quietly through singles, interlacing them with boundaries but with the sole intent of batting England out of the game. Bradman, with each passing run, was changing the course of the series. Bradman made 270, Fingleton 136 and the rest, as they say is history. Australia went on to win the Test by 355 runs, and would later triumph in Adelaide and again, in Melbourne. Bradman scored 212 in the second innings at the Adelaide Oval. His effort in the third test was hailed by Wisden as the greatest innings ever in Test cricket.
2) Sir Donald Bradman—334 vs England at Headingley in 1930
After watching Bradman ferociously pummel the English attack, Sir Neville Cardus wrote for the Manchester Guardian the next day “How came this Bradman to expel from him all the greenness and impetuosity of youth while retaining the alacrity of youth? How did he come to acquire, without experience, all the ripeness of orthodox—the range and adaptability of all other men’s accumulated years of practice in the best schools of batsmanship?" The 21-year-old Bradman, playing in just his eighthh Test, walked in early, after Australia lost Archie Jackson for just 1. What followed was legendary stuff—a famous, ferocious attack on the English bowling, which boasted of names like Harold Larwood and Maurice Tate. By lunch, Bradman had his century. Such was the quality of Bradman’s batsmanship that Cardus was compelled to write this in his report, “Richard Tyldesley at one o’clock actually bowled a maiden over to Bradman: from internal and external evidence I concluded that it was one of the cleverest bits of bowling he has achieved in his hard-working career." By tea, Bradman was on 219, with 30 boundaries to his name. And by the end of day’s play, Bradman would achieve the triple hundred, finishing on an unbeaten 309, before falling to Tate the next day for 334.
3) Alastair Cook—235* vs Australia, Brisbane (2010)
It was an innings that set the foundation for England in their quest to win an away Ashes for the first time in 24 years. In the first Test at the Gabba, Australia were in an impregnable position, with a sizable 221-run lead and just the ten England wickets to take. Cook and then captain Andrew Strauss began a mammoth recovery act that would deflate the Aussies. When Australia snared the first English wicket at 188, Strauss was already past 100, 110 to be precise. Cook, who scored 67 in the first innings, turned out to be the immovable force, and together with Jonathan Trott, he dropped anchor, batting for nearly 10 and a half hours (625 minutes) and 428 balls. During the course of his effort, Cook surpassed Bradman’s highest individual score at the Gabba (226). The knock proved to be pivotal to the fortunes of England, who won the Ashes. Cook had a dream Ashes that summer down under, amassing a mammoth tally of 766 runs in the five-match series.
4) Sir Ian Botham—149* vs Australia, Headingley (1981)
Just a year before, Sir Ian Botham was appointed England captain. After the first Two tests that series, which England lost and drew, Botham stepped down as captain, handing back the reins to Mike Brearley for the third Test. Australia batted first and declared at 401/9 in the first innings. England, weren’t upto scratch as they were bowled out for 174 in the first innings. Botham top-scored for England with 50. Australia, looking good for an innings victory, enforced the follow on. With his side at 105/5, Botham walked in. It wasn’t until Geoff Boycott and Bob Taylor were dismissed that Botham began opening up. With a cavalier nothing-to-lose approach, he found able allies in first Graham Dilley and later Chris Old, Botham began hitting out at the Aussie bowlers in a knock that Wisden would later rate as the fourth best in Test history. Botham scored 149, and importantly, gave England a slender lead that they would later defend through Bob Willis in one of the greatest turnarounds in Test cricket history. The series would famously be referred to as “Botham’s Ashes"
5) Andrew Flintoff - 102 vs Australia, Trent Bridge (2005)
Freddie Flintoff, the big Lancastrian all-rounder, was already making his mark in the 2005 Ashes. He played a starring role in England’s famous 2-run win in Edgbaston with bat and ball, nearly won the next Test at Manchester with his bowling, but Flintoff for all his exploits as an all-rounder, never had a Test hundred against Australia. After England’s good start through Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan, they were reduced to 229 for four, leaving the innings evenly poised. In walked Freddie and with wicketkeeper Geraint Jones, put England on top, adding 177 runs for the fifth wicket. Equally important was Flintoff’s 26 in the second essay and his partnership with Kevin Pietersen, which was instrumental in England’s nervy three-wicket win. The win at Nottingham gave England a 2-1 lead.
6) Steve Waugh - 108 and 116 vs England, Old Trafford (1997)
Waugh had acquired a bit of a reputation for his stodgy back-to-the wall performances that would often grind down opposition teams who were on the up. Australia were trailing in the Ashes after losing the first Test and a draw in the second and were clearly in trouble at 42/3 when Waugh walked in. Having survived a close leg-before call early, Waugh, full of confidence, launched a counter-attack on the English bowlers. Australia scored 235 in the first innings.
Second time around, Waugh would walk in to bat at a similar stage, his side 39/3. While batting conditions improved through the Test match, Waugh came in with an injury—his right hand was badly bruised during his first innings effort. But he batted on, regardless. Batting in extreme pain, Waugh made a typical 116 in an innings that lasted over six hours, and in the process, putting the game beyond England’s reach and thereby turning around the Ashes, which Australia later went on to win.
7) Michael Slater—176 vs England, Brisbane (1994)
Slater’s knock in the first Test of the 1994-95 Ashes has been often described as “outrageous", and that’s quite fitting. The New South Welshman hit the very first ball of the series (by Phillip deFreitas) for four and didn’t look back. Slater was belligerent right from the start, and took a toll of anything loose from England’s already weak bowling attack (most of its bowlers were injured ahead of the Ashes). Slater reached his fifty in 96 balls, and kept racking up the milestones in typical style. His hundred would come off 173 balls, and later, the 150 at 224 balls. He was eventually dismissed for 176. The innings would thoroughly deflate England’s bowlers for the rest of the tour, and yet another Ashes defeat was on the cards.
8) Chris Broad—112 vs Australia, Melbourne (1986)
Broad made his way into England’s touring party to Australia after a rather productive county season. But it wasn’t until the second Test that he lived up to his form and made his mark on Australian soil. In the second Test at Perth, with England leading the Ashes 1-0, Broad made 162, and followed it up at Adelaide with yet another century, scoring 116. But his 112 at the MCG went a long way in England winning the Test match under three days, and thereby retaining the Ashes with one Test to spare. Broad’s feat of three successive hundreds put him alongside Jack Hobbs and Wally Hammond as the only ones to do so at the time.
9) Neil Harvey—112 vs England, Headingley (1948)
The youngest squad member of the “Invincibles", the 19-year old Harvey’s selection was largely thanks to an injury to opener Sid Barnes ahead of the fourth Test at Leeds. After England scored 496, they reduced Australia to 68/3, with Bradman back in the hut. Harvey walked into bat, and joined the great all-rounder Keith Miller. He struggled against Jim Laker’s off-breaks initially, but Miller, being the senior partner, shielded Harvey magnificiently. As Harvey’s innings progressed, the confidence was showing, especially through his footwork. That innings would be typified by some exquisite driving by Harvey, on both sides of the wicket. He scored 112 before falling to Laker. Earlier that year, Harvey had played two Test matches against India, even scoring 153 in his second Test against Lala Amarnath’s men.
10) Denis Compton—145* vs Australia, Old Trafford (1948)
Often described as “poetry in motion", Ray Lindwall had a dream Ashes in 1948, picking 27 wickets as part of the famous ‘Invincibles’. In the third Test at Manchester, England won the toss and chose to bat first. Australia’s pacers struck early, with both their openers gone for 28/2. In walked Denis Compton, who looked all at sea against Lindwall’s short pitch bowling. After being struck on the arm by Lindwall, Compton tried to hook a bouncer, only for the ball to hit his forehead, with blood dripping. Compton returned with England at 119/5 three hours later with stitches on his forehead and continued batting. Interestingly, Compton had a few sips of brandy before walking out to bat again. After a brave essay, Compton would finish the innings at 145* with England bowled out for 363. That would be the only drawn match of the series.
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