The Ashes is, without a doubt, the greatest Test series on the international cricket calendar. It has more history than any other around the world and speaking generally, it’s the grand final for both Australia and England.
As they say, the best players stand up on the biggest occasions, and there have been some monumental efforts over the 150 years of Ashes history since that famous poem announcing the death of English cricket was written in 1882.
Today, we count down the best individual performances in Ashes history. From match-turning innings to series destroying performances, only the best make it to this list.
6. Captain Cook scores 766 to guide England to their first away series win in 25 years (2010-11)
The 2010-11 Ashes series was painful for Australian fans, to say the least. Having not tasted defeat on home soil for 26 years, expectations were high that they would regain the urn after losing 2-1 in England during 2009.
Instead, Alastair Cook happened. He produced the fifth highest amount of runs in an Ashes series, scoring 766 at 127.66.
He didn’t do it all on his own, but he was superb. With three centuries and another score over 50 with a highest of 235 not out, he was faultless throughout the series, those runs coming in just seven innings.
In the end, England won the series 3-1 and a huge part of that was the doing of Cook. There’s no question he deserves his spot on the list because while it wasn’t a single match, he strung together back-to-back-to-back Tests to thwart the Aussies on home soil where they hadn’t lost for two decades.
(Nick Potts/PA Wire).
5. Bob Massie takes 16 on debut (1972)
Bob Massie still holds one of the greatest Test match debuts of all time. The second Test of the 1972 series saw Australia already reeling, down 1-0, but it didn’t phase Massie in the slightest.
The debutant ruined England not once, but twice as he took eight wickets in each innings, ending with match figures of 16 for 137 from 60.1 overs. England would be knocked over for 272 and 116 as Australia won the match by eight wickets to level the series.
In truth, Dennis Lillie with 31 wickets dominated the series, but Massie set the ball rolling in that second Test and it proved to the catalyst for the Aussies to escape England with a 2-2 draw.
4. Mark Taylor comes of age (1989)
When the 1989 Ashes series in England began, Mark Taylor had just 67 Test runs to his name from four innings after a difficult induction against the West Indies.
Press clippings from before the series will show Taylor was going to be an easy target for England at the top of the order and it would allow the old enemy to get on top early in each match.
What followed was completely against the run of Taylor’s career so far, as he amassed an awesome 839 runs in 11 innings (these were the days when the series were played over six Tests).
Five 50s and a couple of centuries, as well as a top score of 219, marked the arrival of Taylor as an international cricketer.
He went on to have a long career, skippering Australia for a number of years, and it’s little surprise considering the temperament he showed during the ’89 Ashes.
Taylor was a huge part of Australia’s 4-2 win, and it kicked off a run of eight straight series victories, only broken in 2005 after Glenn McGrath stood on a cricket ball and was ruled out of the series.
3. Mitchell Johnson destroys England (2013-14)
When you think of genuinely exciting cricket highlights, you normally think of a batsman scoring hundreds and bludgeoning a bowler to all parts. Not in this case.
Mitchell Johnson was the star attraction of the 2013-14 Ashes series. He bowled with real fire, raining down on England at every opportunity with a great mix of yorkers and bouncers. There were times when it looked like the English batsmen – especially those down the order – were genuinely scared of the left-arm quick.
He ended the series with 37 wickets at 13.97 – the third best bowling average in Ashes history – with the best figures of 7 for 40.
It was consistency which puts this performance at the top of the charts, with Johnson leading Australia to a 5-0 series victory. Even more impressive was the limitation of Cook, who made just three half centuries after his nearly 800-run series during 2010-11.
Only Ryan Harris and Stuart Broad took more than 20 wickets for the series, so for Johnson to end up with 37 shows exactly how dominant he was.
(AFP, Ian Kington)
2. 19 for 90. Jim Laker spins a web to destroy the Aussies (1956)
In 1956, Jim Laker almost bowled the perfect Test. While Tony Lock took the third wicket of that fourth Test, Laker would take the next 16 in a row. As it stands, his 19 for 90 are still the best figures in the history of Test cricket.
The first innings figures of 9 for 37 were an absolute destruction of the Australians before Laker took 10 for 53 in 51.2 overs during the second innings after the follow-on was enforced.
Out of that, he bowled a ridiculous 23 maidens as Australia were knocked over for 205.
While that Test is, for obvious reasons, the memorable one from Laker’s point of view, he also set the record during that 1956 series for most wickets, picking up 46 across the five Tests at an average of just 9.60.
It’s one of the greatest bowling performances in history, and if it wasn’t for the greatest cricketer of all time, he would be No.1 on this list.
1. 309 runs in a day, 334 in an innings and the greatest batting performance in history (1930)
Sir Donald Bradman is the greatest cricketer in history. There is no disputing it, whether you’re an Aussie, Englishman or anything else.
There has never been anyone like him. A Test average of 99.94 should probably allude to that. You could write a list based on the Don’s greatest performances, and it would still be probably just as good, and it goes without saying he could have been on this list multiple times.
Alas, we will keep it to one, and how can you go past him scoring 309 runs in a day? Bradman came in with Australia sitting 1 for 2 and proceeded to bat the entire day, going to stumps on 309.
He came back the following day and ended with 334.
Australia went on to draw that match, but Bradman had another two double centuries throughout the most prolific Ashes series in history, guiding the visitors to a 2-1 lead.
In the end, he finished with the incredible numbers of 974 runs at an average of 139.14, despite failing with the bat three times. He also hit 98 boundaries in 1580 balls faced – one every 16 balls – which is the highest number of fours scores in an Ashes series.
On top of the 1930 tour, Bradman has four entries in the top ten list for most runs scored in an Ashes series.
Amazing.
Roarers, what do you reckon? What are the best performances in the history of the Ashes?
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Stephen Wright
Guest
Scarred?..... more so than Bodyline?
stephen wright
Guest
Greatest Ashes Performance (hands down): 1957/58 100 runs and 10 wickets: BETTY WILSON Greatest Australian Cricketer ever
George
Guest
I suspect the thrashing in '89 and losing in '90/91 had done the damage already. England's '90s selection became consistently as farcical as choosing Paine and Marsh for this match.
George
Guest
Batting at 6 is harder though. Flintoff helped consolidate and build strong totals on about three occasions with a tail that started with Jones at 7.
George
Guest
Don't get these caveats that always precede Broad's name? Not quite sure what he did that was so notorious. Michael Clarke refused to walk after obvious nicks FOUR times in 2010 alone and no-one batted an eyelid,
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
Sutcliffe rarely failed in both innings of an Ashes test. In fact, in two of the six tests you mentioned, he only batted once. In only four of 27 Ashes tests was Sutcliffe dismissed twice without making a 50. Pretty impressive stuff there. Of course, Bradman was four from 37 Ashes tests for the same.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
It seems a tough crowd, Dexter. Most runs ever in an Ashes series can't justify Bradman a spot, for some. The Don has four series in that top 10 Ashes list and three in the top six. 135 more runs than Taylor's amazing 1989 series and in four less innings. As someone has already mentioned, nearly all the Aussie batsmen scored plenty in 1989. Bradman scored 33.75% of the Australian runs that series.The next best batsman in that 1930 series was Sutcliffe, a mere 538 runs in arrears. For the same reason Hammond's '28 series is a worthy contender for the Taylor or Cook spot. As you say, look harder. I could perhaps understand if someone felt Alderman should be somewhere on the list for his two x 41 wicket series In England.
JGK
Roar Guru
Similarly, the Gatting ball arguably set the scene for a decade of Australian domination.
JGK
Roar Guru
Maybe you could also add the whole career of Herbert Sutcliffe who only failed to pass 50 in 6 of the 26 Tests he was dismissed in. His consistency was astonishing.
JGK
Roar Guru
Surely the performance that actually started the Ashes - Spofforth's 14-90 against a full strength England side - is worthy of a mention. I can't get too excited about Cook and Taylor - they were great series yes but were really stories of consistency over genuine brilliance (both were well supported by team-mates in their respective series). And in any case, how does either rank ahead of Hammond's 905 runs in 28/9? Oh, and Australia won 4-0 in 1989, not 4-2. Some other candidates: Steve Waugh's twin tons at Old Trafford in 1997 - certainly the batting equivalent of Massie's effort given that there was only one other innings over 60 in the match. Hutton's 364 in 1938 (again well supported but it was a BIG score). McCabe's 232 at Nottingham in 1938 - about which Bradman told his team mates that they would never see the likes of it again. Willis' 8/43 at Headingley in 1981. And yes, Botham in 1981 has to be there somewhere - probably at 1.
Nick
Roar Guru
For me, Flintoff's is enduring not so much because of the performances (although they were stunning) but because it genuinely scarred Australia in a way that I don't think anything else has come close to doing. Symonds, Watson, McDonald, Cartright, Hastings, Henriques, Maxwell, Agar, Faulkner, MITCHELL MARSH all received test caps because of the desperate need to have an allrounder of some capacity. Add Mitchell Johnson who's career was nearly ruined when they tried to turn him into an allrounder as well. Without the obsession, I'd argue even Watson would have found it hard to squeeze into the side, keeping in mind he was originally picked and expected to play as a proper allrounder. WIth the exception of Agar (who they picked as a spinner then tried to turn into a lower order allrounder based on a fluke innings), all were picked on an expectation that they would bat and bowl, and then almost all simply reverted to specialist roles - and were for the most part, fairly ordinary.
The Bush
Roar Guru
It is one of those series performances where I just don't recall appreciating it for how amazing it really was. Perhaps because it's Warne you almost came to expect him to be great. Perhaps watching Bradman was simliar (i.e. worse), in that you couldn't ever place any single moment because it was all so amazing. In contrast, I feel like performances like Johnson's and Flintoff's are more memorable because they were so removed from their overall careers.
Nick
Roar Guru
I definitely agree on Warne in the losing cause. I recall him getting 90 in the 3rd test first innings that genuinely kept Australia alive in the series. That innings as vital as Pontings 156 in the second innings. Without that 90, Australia were certain to follow on and go 2-1 down after 3 tests.
armchair expert
Guest
Yes great series in 2005 by Warne and Flintoff, they tied for player of the series.
Dexter The Hamster
Guest
James, so Bradman scored over 5000 Ashes runs at 100 average, and you cant find a spot for any of his performances in the top 5?? I don't think you are looking hard enough.
James
Guest
I know its kind of sacrilege but i dont see how Bradman is on the list with that display, for me Cooks at number 6 is more impressive. Id swap Botham for Taylor and id have a dual Flintoff/Warne at number 1 for 2005. Or even just have a top 5 and so both sides have 3 players mentioned.
James
Guest
I think Botham should be in here and yeah that 2005 performance should be in aswell but as a Flintoff/Warne dual thing. Both of them were equally brilliant.
Scott Pryde
Expert
The innings was the headline, but I did mention the entire series in the text. It was his 'best' but then, he had 3 or 4 better than most players.
Robbie
Guest
Frank Tyson,7-27 Melbourne 1954-55-altered the series then locked at 1-1
The Bush
Roar Guru
It was in a losing cause, but Warnie's performance in that series warrants a mention almost as much as Flintoff's. He took 40 wickets (by far the dominant bowler of the series) at less than 20 and also was Australia's fifth highest run scorer (10th for the series), scoring 249 runs at 27. Not bad when you consider he batted at 8 compared to Flintoff at 6 and Warne was frequently under more pressure, while Flintoff had Trescotchik and Pietersen killing it.