The Ashes, the legendary cricket series between England and Australia, began in 1877 with the first-ever Test match played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The rivalry quickly grew after England lost to Australia on home soil in 1882, prompting a satirical obituary in The Sporting Times declaring that “English cricket had died, and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.” 

2013/14 Ashes

Beginning with this 2013/14 Ashes series, the four-year cycle of Ashes series in Australia was brought forward one year due to the clash with the 2015 World Cup which was held in Australia Feb-March 2015. England led by Alastair Cook toured Australia just 4 months after retaining the Ashes at home.

On 17 December 2013, Australia led by Michael Clarke regained the Ashes for the first time since 2006–07 by winning the Third Test in Perth by 150 runs and taking an unassailable 3–0 lead in the series. Australia then went on to win the series 5–0 on 5 January 2014, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, only the third 5–0 Ashes clean sweep in history.

Top Performers:

  • Player of the Series:
    • Mitchell Johnson (Australia): 37 wickets at 13.97, plus 130 runs
      • His raw pace, aggression, and moustache became iconic.
  • Top Run-Scorers:
    • David Warner (Australia): 523 runs
    • Brad Haddin (Australia): 493 runs
    • Ben Stokes (England): 279 runs – one of England’s few positives
  • Top Wicket-Takers:
    • Johnson (Australia): 37 wickets
    • Ryan Harris: 22 wickets
    • Stuart Broad (England): 21 wickets

Legacy:

  • This was only the third 5–0 Ashes whitewash in history (after 1920–21 and 2006–07).
  • Mitchell Johnson’s performances were career-defining and resurrected his international career.
  • England’s ageing core (Cook, Pietersen, Swann, Prior, Trott) began to disintegrate:
    • Graeme Swann retired mid-series.
    • Jonathan Trott left after Brisbane due to stress.
    • Kevin Pietersen was later dropped from future squads.

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