Ashes 2013: Top five batsmen in the series

The recently concluded Investec Ashes 2013 had all the trappings of a nineties Bollywood potboiler – plenty of action and drama. At the end of it, England retained the urn with a 3-0 victory over Australia, with two matches ending in draws.

There were some fine performances with the bat – primarily from the English, but a few of the Aussies also did reasonably well.

Here are the top five batsmen who made their presence felt in the Ashes:

5. Chris Rogers (Australia – 367 runs)

Chris Rogers of Australia bats during day four of 4th Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at Emirates Durham ICG on August 12, 2013 in Chester-le-Street, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Australian coach Darren Lehmann shocked many when he announced that the 36-year-old Middlesex captain would partner all-rounder Shane Watson at the top of the order. Many felt that this was a poor decision, given that Rogers had been out of the side for five years and did not have too much cricket left in him anyway.

The left-hander proved them wrong when he scored his maiden Test half-century in the second innings of the first Test at Trent Bridge. Following a slight slump when he totalled only 21 runs in his next outing, and a growing vulnerability to off-spinner Graeme Swann, Rogers made 84 in the first innings of the third Test at Manchester, and followed it up with a sublime first Test hundred in the next game at Durham.

With a total of 367 runs scored in five Ashes games, Chris Rogers has done enough to stay in the team for at least another couple of seasons.

4. Michael Clarke (Australia – 381 runs)

Michael Clarke of Australia hits out during day four of the 3rd Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground on August 4, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

The Australian captain didn’t cause enough damage with the bat in the first Test, scoring only 23 runs in the entire game. He found some form with a sedate half-century in the second innings of the Lord’s Test, but couldn’t prevent another defeat.

In the game at Manchester, the embattled skipper responded to his critics with a magnificent innings of 187 – scoring exactly the same number of runs that the late Stan McCabe made during the Bodyline series. His effort ensured that Australia had a large enough total on the board, but a controversial umpiring decision ensured that England escaped with a draw to retain the Ashes.

His captaincy, called into question after defeats in the first two games, was spot-on in the final match when he sportingly declared Australia’s second innings to give his side a chance of winning – and it was Pietersen’s brilliance that put paid to his hopes.

Nevertheless, the right-hander ended up scoring 381 runs in the series, but would have wanted at least a single win to lessen some of the pain.

3. Kevin Pietersen (England – 388 runs)

Kevin Pietersen of England hits out watched by wicketkeeper Brad Haddin of Australia during day five of the 5th Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at the Kia Oval on August 25, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

The maverick batsman posted his first half-century of the series in the second innings of the first Test, when he made 64 from 150 balls. He flopped at Lord’s, getting out for single-digit scores in both innings, but recovered sufficiently to hammer a brilliant 113 at Manchester, featuring in a strong partnership with the consistent Ian Bell.

At Durham, KP scored a solid 44 in the second innings, but was surprisingly slow in the final game, although he scored fifties in both innings. His quick-fire 62 from 55 balls on the last day of the fifth Test crushed any hopes the Aussies had of scoring a consolation victory.

He averaged 38.80 during the series, but England would have wanted him to score some more runs.

2. Shane Watson (Australia – 418 runs)

Shane Watson of Australia hits out during day five of the 5th Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at the Kia Oval on August 25, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

The injury-prone blond-haired all-rounder did not have the best of starts when he opened the innings in the first couple of games. He returned to some form at Durham, making 68 in the first innings; however, Australia’s march to victory was foiled by an inspired spell from Stuart Broad in the second innings.

Watson made his mark in the final Test, smashing his third Test hundred at the Oval, finishing on a magnificent 176. He shared a 145-run stand with all-rounder Steve Smith as Australia scored 492/9 in their first innings; yet, England escaped with a draw and a 3-0 score line.

A case of too little, too late, but his 418 runs was the second best by any batsman in this series.

1. Ian Bell (England – 562 runs)

Ian Bell of England hits out during day five of the 5th Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at the Kia Oval on August 25, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

In a nutshell, the series completely belonged to the 31-year-old batsman from Coventry. He started the run-glut at Trent Bridge, making a responsible 109 in the second innings, and thus paving the way for England’s eventual win. At Lord’s, Bell made exactly the same score in the first innings, rescuing his side from a shaky 28/3, and followed it up with 74 in the second essay as England won by 347 runs.

He missed out on another ton at Manchester, scoring 60 in the first innings, and was unbeaten on 4 in the second when bad light halted play. In the fourth match, Bell hammered 113 in the second innings, and a Broad special enabled England to win by 74 runs.

At the Oval, Bell scored 62 runs in both innings to finish with a total of 562 for the entire tourney – he shared the Player of the Series award with Australia’s Ryan Harris.

It is consistency that the Warwickshire batsman must look for now, and England would want him to carry on in the same vein during the November edition of the Ashes in Australia. Terrific performance!