Over the last few weeks, we asked you to vote on who should make The Roar’s greatest Ashes XI of all time. Now, after the votes have finished pouring in, it’s time to reveal who made it.
First, a quick refresher on the voting process: we initially asked everyone to pick their preferred full side, comprising two openers, three middle-order batsmen, an all-rounder, wicketkeeper and four specialist bowlers, with an option to vote for one spinner and three quicks, or two slow and fast bowlers.
From there, the two players with the most votes were pitted against each other for each individual spot in a series of seeded one-on-one polls. In the case of ‘positions’ with more than one vacancy – all of them except for the all-rounder and wicketkeeper – we took twice as many players as required and had the player with the most votes against the one with the least, and the one with the second-most against the second-least and so on. So the most popular opener after Round 1 (Matthew Hayden) went up against the opener with the fourth-most votes (Len Hutton) for one spot, while second (Jack Hobbs) and third (Herbert Sutcliffe) faced off for the other.
This was the resulting XI.
Openers: Matthew Hayden and Jack Hobbs
No surprise to see Jack Hobbs, the second-most prolific batsman in Ashes history, make it into the final side. He received more than twice as many votes in the second round as his opponent and former opening partner, Sutcliffe. His partner, though, is a bit of an eyebrow-raiser.
Matthew Hayden received more votes than any other opener in the first round then eased past Len Hutton in the second round, 1451 votes to 1012. While Hayden’s Ashes record was hardly shabby – 1461 runs at 45.65 – it’s not exactly Hutton’s 2428 at 56.46 or Sutcliffe’s 2741 at 66.85. In fact, the Queenslander had the fewest Ashes centuries (two) of any of the opening options. However, he was undoubtedly a great opener when Australia were at their peak in the mid-2000s, which has presumably seen him home here.
England batsmen Jack Hobbs, left, and Herbert Sutcliffe. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)
Middle order: Don Bradman, Steve Smith, Ricky Ponting
Bradman made it. Don’t really need to offer any explanation there.
(Although if you want more detail we could offer that his match-up against Wally Hammond was more lopsided than all others bar one, the Don winning that poll 1062-63. Sorry Wally.)
Steve Smith was also an easy selection for most voters, handily getting past Allan Border 1088-414. It’s worth recapping just how good Australia’s best current batsman has been in Ashes encounters, too. Having only played 27 Tests against England, he’s already sixth in the all-time list of Ashes runscorers with an even 2800 runs at 65.11. None of the top ten played fewer matches, only Sutcliffe and Bradman finished with better averages, and only Hobbs (12) and Bradman (19) scored more than Smith’s 11 centuries – three of which have been doubles.
The last middle-order spot was also a battle between former Australian captains, with Ricky Ponting getting past Steve Waugh by some 300 votes. As with Hayden, some could argue recency (or just non-Ashes) bias with this pick, as Waugh’s record against England seems to be the better one. He led his successor as skipper in matches (45 to 35), runs (3173 to 2476), average (58.75 to 44.21) and centuries (ten to eight).
Ponting, on the other hand, did captain his side to a rare whitewash in 2006-07, when he also finished as player of the series, and produced some other memorable knocks in Ashes Tests.
Ricky Ponting in 2006. (James Knowler/Getty Images)
All-rounder: Keith Miller
The most closely fought position. In Ian Botham and Miller there were two outstanding all-rounders to choose from, and it came down to a nail-biter, with Miller, one of the men whose name adorns the award for player of the series, edging out ‘Beefy’ by just four votes.
Having had his Test debut until after World War II, Miller didn’t play an Ashes match until he was 26, so was denied the opportunity to play an extra series or two. Nonetheless, he was a star of the post-War years, opening the bowling for Bradman’s Invincibles while batting in the middle-order. He finished his Ashes career with 1511 runs at 33.57 and 87 wickets at 22.4 from 29 Tests.
As an aside, there are plenty of worse ways to spend seven minutes than by watching this interview with Miller and Denis Compton:
Wicketkeeper: Adam Gilchrist
By far and away the most lopsided position, Adam Gilchrist was always going to end up in this XI. After being picked in 89 per cent of teams in Round 1, he then just barely edged past Ian Healy by, um, 1434 votes to 170.
With 1083 runs at 45.12 and 96 dismissals from 20 Tests against England, it’s not hard to see why.
Spinner: Shane Warne
No surprise that Shane Warne, too, was a shoo-in for the side. He was the most-picked bowler in Round 1, then out-polled Jim Laker 946-92 in the second.
Warne is, of course, the leading wicket-taker in Ashes history with 195 at 23.35 in 36 matches, and conjured up some of the most memorable moments in contests between Australia and England, from his unplayable first ball which bamboozled Mike Gatting, to the famous last-day win in Adelaide in 2006.
(Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)
Fast bowlers: Glenn McGrath, Dennis Lillee, Mitchell Johnson
It’s an all-Australian attack. Again, two of these were practically foregone conclusions; McGrath and Lillee come in behind Warne in the list of leading Ashes wicket-takers, having snared 157 and 167 English scalps respectively.
McGrath cruised past Pat Cummins in the second round of voting 1228-299 after topping the pace-bowling charts in the first, while Lillee trounced his former teammate Terry Alderman 980-85.
The third quick was less clear cut. James Anderson finished in third place after Round 1, but was comprehensively out-polled by Mitchell Johnson in the second round, the Australian getting 1174 votes to Anderson’s 398.
In a head-to-head Ashes face-off, that’s probably fair enough, too. While Anderson has played more matches (32 to 19) and taken more wickets (104 to 87), it’s Johnson with the far better average (25.81 to 34.56) and strike-rate (43.1 to 67.7) – much of which is, of course, due to the latter’s otherworldly series in 2013-14.
That leaves us with an XI looking like this:
The Roar’s Greatest Ashes XI of All-Time
1. Matthew Hayden
2. Jack Hobbs
3. Don Bradman
4. Steve Smith
5. Ricky Ponting
6. Keith Miller
7. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
8. Shane Warne
9. Mitchell Johnson
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Glenn McGrath
Just a slight Australian flavour then…
Well, did the voters get it right? Or are there some flaws in the final XI? Let us know in the comments below.
Cari
Roar Rookie
Absolutely and something I have said before. equipment, pitches, rules etc were very different decades ago making individual averages almost redundant. the one glaring improvement is the fielding today and the reason that Laker would never make any world team for me is that he was a hopeless bat and to say you had to hide him in the field would be pushing reality to its limit.
Ace
Roar Rookie
The table I looked at included all the greats from every country based based on certain criteria to rank them over their careers
Ace
Roar Rookie
I think you will find its based on performances and other criteria over their careers. But who cares
sheek
Roar Guru
BTW, I have sen no mention of Denis Compton. This is a massive miss. Also WG Grace, who under the English system of picking the captain, then building the team around him, would be first choice for all-time England skipper. So I'm afraid this entire exercise, while perhaps fun-inducing, has been a completely dysfunctional selection exercise.
Michael Steel
Roar Pro
In what is a ridiculous out come to this poll. 10 Australians and one Englishman it makes me think the article should have been two sides , one from each country and from that a combined best Ashes side. There are too many openers to choose from to be decisive so you pick your favourites. However there are 6 no brainers.. 1 & 2 too many to choose from. From Ponsford and Woodfull to Hayden and Langer and these four would not be in my selections. All have averages around 40.00 3 Bradman 4 G Chappell 5& 6 many to choose from A Border & Ponting would be my first 2 choices 7 A Gilchrist 8 Warne 9 Lillee 10 McGrath 11 A few to choose from but J Thomson should almost be a no brainer. 12 K Miller History shows he's been our only great all rounder.
Michael Steel
Roar Pro
It's amazing that this article got published.
Michael Steel
Roar Pro
AND Wisden from what I have gathered each year only or mainly selects players which have played that year in England.
Micko
Roar Rookie
But Wisden is still just a group of individuals with their own biases. Pretty much like how this side was selected.
Ace
Roar Rookie
Perhaps you can also check Wisden's top 100 bowlers. Botham comes in at 10. Miller at 52. Swan at 56 and M.Johnson at 63. I had not checked these before making my comments but it kinda backs up my thoughts. Your thoughts?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
#1 Chappelli – everything. In fact the most important player to have played the game since WW2. #2 Benaud – everything #3 Waugh – yes, not as sharp tactically but still very good #4 Taylor – yes, a bit soft, didn’t draw the sword as willingly. His average was still good (about 45) just not gettin 3 figures for 3 or 4 years #5 Border – everything but tactics; quite poor in that regard #6 – Clarke tactically good but surely you’d want a rearrange his face in the Picasso mold. #7 – Paine has done well considering he possesses no real captain’s mien
sheek
Roar Guru
Rowdy, When you talk about Chappelli, you are talking to the converted! Simpson was the first Aussie captain I was acquainted with, when I discovered cricket in the summer of 1967/68. He was quickly followed by Lawry, then eventually Chappelli, apart from a one-off from Jarman, when Lawry was injured in England in 1968. So, my top 5 Aussie captains from 1967-present. 1. Ian Chappell. My kind of leader, happy to be one of the boys socially, but when he spoke, the team listened out of deep respect & followed him willingly. He led from the front & represented the team off-field, almost to the point of losing the captaincy. A real leader of men. 2. Steve Waugh. Possessed real mongrel & similar to Chappelli in many ways, but a quieter personality. Not as sharp tactically as some others, but quick to spot the weaknesses & go for the jugular. It took real guts to drop Warnie in the Caribbean in 1999 (the right call at the time). 3. Allan Border. We owe him the earth. Took a broken & weak Aussie team, & lifted them back up to the top, sometimes single-handedly. Re-instilled discipline that had gone missing under GC & Hughes. He was the reluctant captain, all the more reason to love him. 4. Ricky Ponting. Yes, he was in charge of an uber-talented team, but it is noted they followed him willingly. Not the sharpest tactical captain, but then he didn't need to be, with so many champions around him. Was however, the dominant batsman in a dominant team. 5. Mark Taylor. Was probably the sharpest skipper tactically but a bit too soft, with too many dead test matches lost at end of a series. His batting fell away & he was lucky to hang onto his job. 6. Tim Paine. We also owe him the earth. Some call him the accidental captain, but how lucky were we to have him when we did? Off the field, one of the finest style of characters you could wish for. And it's that character that gives him respect on the pitch. Some other observations: Bobby Simpson. A real martinet, my way or the highway. This approach might work for some, but not my cup of tea. Nevertheless, he proved to be our outstanding first coach. Bill Lawry. Strange that someone who was so personable, witty & humorous away from the pitch could be so dull on it. Chappelli respected him greatly despite their philosophical differences. Was dismissed in a disgraceful, cowardly fashion. Greg Chappell. Did wonders when he moved too Queensland, leading them to 2nd in the Shield 4 seasons out of 5. At test level, didn't have the same range of qualities as his elder brother, although a much superior batsman. Sometimes, he seemed to lose interest in the leadership, which is not a good image to portray. Kim Hughes. Should never have been put in the place of acting as a go-between for the ACB & recalcitrant ex-WSC players. Totally out of his depth while they were around. But a very decent human being & good cricketer. Michael Clarke & Steve Smith. The glitzy, new-aged skippers with their permed hair, designer sun glasses & ever so slightly effeminate manners. Both were razor sharp tacticians but not particularly great leaders of men, losing some of the inherent qualities that had existed in former leaders. It took Paine to correct this.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Er, no. Warne and Gilly would be World XI certainties let alone just Ashes ones.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Yes to the English and Aussie differences. Under the English system my World XI would be captained by Chappelli. He is fielding-aspect nous is worth 2 or 3 wickets over the average, boring test captain. Added to that ishis bowling management and his flair as team confidante is 2nd to none. Under an Australian system he would lucky to be in the Aussie 3rds. I'd love to have seen Brearley go toe2toe with him!
sheek
Roar Guru
Rowdy, I really like your style. Especially as you picked my favourite captain - Chappelli. And your nomination of Kate Bush is commendable. Although I have the hots for lots & lots of English women, my fav at the moment is Lily James. Also I wonder, can I claim to have the hots for Emily Ratajkowski because she was born in England & has an English mother? But I digress. It's interesting that traditionally, Australia & England pick them teams differently, especially the captain. The usual method for the Aussies is to pick their best XI, & then see who's the best captain in that XI. For so long, we've usually had anything from 3-5 players who could be excellent captaincy material, that it worked well. But at present, for example, the cupboard is bare after Paine. Some are not ready, others have ruined their reputations, so the cupboard is kinda bare. England, being a much more closeted society class conscious-wise, have often tended to pick the captain first & then build the team around the captain. Perhaps the most outstanding examples of this might be WG Grace, Douglas Jardine, Ray Illingworth & Mike Brearley. The English captain didn't always have to be good enough to be worth his place in the team on stats, as long as he could control the other players, & be reasonably successful. I think when picking an XI from another country, it's important to try & think like someone from that country, & not like an Aussie. Because other countries do have slightly different philosophies which must be respected.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Total runs and wickets are great, but I go on ave for batting and bowling, then strike rate if stuck
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Not sure of stats you got. Miller has bowling ave 5 better then Botham and 13 better then stokes. Miller has batting average 4 higher then botham and 5 lower then stokes. I don’t know math, but a bowling ave of ‘22’! To make that up stokes needs a batting ave of 46 or something. It don’t matter what crystal ball says stokes ‘will’ end up with. Swans bowling ave against aus was 39 I think. I’m pretty sure Lyons ain’t higher then that.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Collectively l think the biggest mistake made by the casual cricket fan is thinking the best batsman should be the captain. GSC and Ponting were exceptional batsmen but poor captains. —- GCS though he suffered a brain-fade, l contend it’s Ponting losing 3 Ashes as one of our very worst, if not worst, captaincy blemishes. —- Rather the best thinker out of the batsmen that should be chosen as captain. —- My take is premised by Match Winners: —- Not necessarily the best averages, the best technique or the safest bet. —- Rather I contend this is the most winningest formula based on the old dictum that “Offence is the best form of defence”. —- Jack Hobbs (England) — Len Hutton (England) — Ian Chappell (c-Australia) — Steve Smith (Australia) — Steve Waugh (Australia) — Keith Miller (Australia) l could be persuaded by Ian Botham; my fave Englishman My fave Englishwoman is Kate Bush — Adam Gilchrist (keeper-Australia) Effectively a 2nd All-rounder — Shane Warne (Australia) — Dennis Lillee (Australia) — Thommo (Australia) so good he only needs one name — Sydney Barnes (England) — 12th man Deadly Derek (Underwood)
sheek
Roar Guru
Rowdy, Yeah, I did debate that with myself. It's a bit like one of those 'eenie-meenie' choices. Both were very good but not really great skippers. But GC did make that awful call for underarm!!!
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Can’t let it go that 2nd team contains a mistake. There is “(C)” after R Ponting’s name. As much as it pains me I’d rather give it to lesser Chappell who is only a batsmen in this team.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Test wins in Ashes. England 110 Australia 146 That's a pretty comprehensive win to Australia I'd say.