England had triumphed in four of the last five. In all seven they went on to win at least one more test. But not this year. This year, Australia retained the Ashes after winning the fourth Test, with England levelling the series 2–2 in the final test, resulting in the first drawn Ashes series since 1972.
With the tournament having ended a few months ago, let’s have a look at some of the most legendary Ashes moments of the last decades.
Warne breaks Ashes hat-trick drought
Shane Warne was already a player on the rise when England came out for the 1994-95 Ashes series. There have been plenty of Ashes series during which the England team has fallen apart, but in 1994 the England team was literally falling apart, dealing with many injuries. In total, six players were dealing with physical problems, from chickenpox to tore side muscles. Having never previously taken a hat-trick, even as a junior, Warne broke the Ashes hat-trick drought since High Trumble in 1903 had claimed an Ashes hat-trick.
Waugh says goodbye
The 2002-03 Ashes served as a farewell tour for Steve Waugh, the man at the helm for one of Australian cricket’s most glorious eras. Waugh admitted he was thinking about quitting Test cricket a year earlier but decided to stick around a year longer. The best part: although England won the match thanks to a stunning second-innings 183 from Michael Vaughan, the only thing anybody remembers is Waugh’s belly.
Warne steals the show in Melbourne goodbye
Shane Warne never thought his farewell would be so successful after he captured five wickets and became the first player to claim 700 Test scalps on the opening day of the fourth Ashes Test against England at the MCG on Boxing Day. But there was nothing he could do about a signature SK Warne leg-break that ripped past his inside edge and onto the stumps as the great man became the first player in history to take 700 Test wickets.
Freddie Flintoff Consoles Brett Lee in 2005
The culmination of the greatest Test match between England and Australia will never be forgotten. Australia almost completed one of the most exceptional victories in the second test of the 2005 Ashes series. A series that just had everything. The Australian team had just lost the test match by 2 runs and while all Flintoff’s teammates were off celebrating an amazing win, the man himself can be seen consoling the great Brett Lee. An iconic picture that sets Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff apart from the rest.
Famous end to 1982/83 Melbourne Ashes Test Match
An evenly balanced game looked to be heading England’s way late on day four when last man Jeff Thompson joined Allan Border with Australia still needing 74 runs for victory. The pair stuck around seeing out stumps and then grinding away the next day until the deficit was down to a mere three runs. Then, Ian Botham served up a classy half-tracker that Thompson wafted into the slip cordon, where Chris Tavare should have completed the winning catch. Instead, the ball went over his head and fell into the mitts of a diving Geoff Miller as the visitors sealed the most spectacular of victories of all time. Is there a more iconic piece of footage in the Ashes archives?
