The Ashes are over, and the post-mortems have begun. Some may point to a lack of preparation, uneven pitches or a mid-tour Noosa bender for England’s failures, and wonder what might have been if only one or two chances were taken.
But in a series won quickly and then – despite an MCG blip – comprehensively, Australia did enough to retain the urn. Age is catching up with many of Pat Cummins’s team but their time has not yet come. This summer has instead been remarkable for the historic brilliance of the home side’s senior players.
Turning Head
Travis Head’s tally of 629 runs was more than 200 higher than the second-most prolific batter, Joe Root, and the Australian accrued them in just 720 balls – just 34 more than the Englishman despite the gap in runs. Only 17 batters have ever scored more runs in an Ashes series, and just six have done so in the past four decades. None have done so with anything like Head’s strike rate of 87.
Bye bye Bazball
While his charges appeared happy to swing away, England captain Ben Stokes was unusual in his apparent rejection of attacking cricket. Stokes has never been as explosive at the crease as the likes of Ben Duckett and Harry Brook. However, his valiant but laboured and ultimately futile resistance in the first innings in the decisive Adelaide Test, where he scored 83 off 198, was the tombstone atop of the grave of Bazball.
Starc difference
Mitch Starc started the series with a bang, sending Crawley back to the sheds in the first over of the series in Perth, on the way to picking up seven wickets in the innings. It only continued from there, and Starc finished the Ashes with 31 wickets at a slightly better clip than Mitchell Johnson’s legendary 2013-14 Ashes.
Smith marches on
Steve Smith became the second most prolific run scorer in Ashes history, overtaking legendary English cricketer Jack Hobbs. Smith’s series included three not-outs in low-scoring games and a hundred on his home ground in Sydney.
Carey imperious
Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey finished the series with 27 catches and one stumping – just one dismissal behind Brad Haddin’s Test record. Carey drew accolades for his dexterity and skill in standing up to the stumps, even when facing fast bowling. This proved an important strategic counter to the aggressive style of play employed by England, making it far riskier for their batters to play outside of the crease.