Picking a combined playing XI from Australia's Ashes 2005 and 2023 squads

Australia's last Ashes series win in England came in 2001 under Steve Waugh's captaincy by a memorable 4-1 margin. The Aussies have come close on numerous occasions over the last two decades, but it is the squads of the 2005 Ashes and the 2023 Ashes that came the closest.

The Ricky Ponting-led side in 2005 was one of the greatest-ever Test sides packed with generational players. The visitors made a perfect start to the series with a dominant win in the opening contest at Lord's. They lost their way in the five-match affair following a narrow loss in the iconic Edgbaston Test and a hard-fought draw in Manchester.

The 2023 squad, however, slid from a 2-0 lead and were arguably a bit lucky to retain the urn and ensure a drawn series after rain washed out the final day of the fourth Test, with England being in the driver's seat.

While the 2005 squad was filled with iconic names, the 2023 squad also comprised a formidable bunch. The Pat Cummins-led side came into the Ashes as the World Test Championship (WTC) winners and showed their prowess in the first half of the series in particular.

On that note, let us take a look at the combined playing XI from Australia's Ashes 2005 and 2023 squads.

Openers - Usman Khawaja and Justin Langer

There are a total of four exceptional left-handed batters to choose from in this department (Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Usman Khawaja, and David Warner).

Khawaja compiled 496 runs in the series, which is the highest by an Australian opener in England since Matthew Elliot's tally in the 1997 Ashes. The veteran left-handed opener is an automatic choice, but things get tricky when choosing his opening partner for the combined XI.

The temptation to pair the aggressive Matthew Hayden with the timid Khawaja is huge, but the former did not have a great 2005 series. Hayden had trouble converting his starts and his only knock of relevance came in the final Test at The Oval.

Justin Langer, on the other hand, was the leading run-scorer for Australia in the 2005 series. He scored 394 runs, including fifties at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge, along with a hundred at The Oval.

Middle order- Ricky Ponting (c), Steve Smith, Michael Clarke, Travis Head, and Adam Gilchrist (wk)

It is a straight shootout between Ricky Ponting and Marnus Labuschagne for the iconic No. 3 position. The former skipper claims the place on the back of his leadership skills and his numbers in the 2005 series.

Ponting was the second-highest run-scorer for Australia in Ashes 2005 with 359 runs to his name. Labuschagne, on the other hand, delivered an underwhelming performance coming in as one of the best-ranked batters in the world. The right-handed batter scored a memorable series-saving ton in the fourth Test but was mediocre across the rest of the rubber.

Steve Smith was the second-highest run-scorer from the 2023 squad with 373 runs. He recorded a memorable hundred in the second Test at Lord's and potentially finished his England chapter with a fifty at The Oval.

Michael Clarke, playing only in his second year of international cricket, was thrown into the cauldron during the 2005 Ashes. He responded well by scoring 91 in his first Test at Lord's and ended up scoring 335 runs and was a vital cog in the middle order.

Travis Head was bombarded with short-pitched deliveries over the course of the Ashes and it is safe to say that he responded well. His counter-attacking innings were crucial for Australia as he scored 362 runs in the 2023 series.

Neither Alex Carey nor Adam Gilchrist had a landmark series with the bat but were influential with the gloves. Carey held a batting average of 22.22, which is slightly below Gilchrist's 22.62 across the five-match affairs.

Bowlers - Shane Warne, Mitchell Starc, Brett Lee, and Glenn McGrath

The legendary Shane Warne picked up 40 wickets in the 2005 series and is unquestionably the first name in the combined bowling attack. Nathan Lyon was injured in the second Test while Todd Murphy did the job in his absence in the second half of the series. As a result, the leg-spinner remains the obvious choice.

Mitchell Starc was crowned as Australia's player of the series for claiming 23 wickets. The left-arm seamer was dropped for the series opener in Edgbaston and then went on to play four matches on the trot.

Glenn McGrath began the 2005 Ashes with a nine-wicket haul at Lord's and finished with 19 wickets. Brett Lee, on the other hand, was the leading wicket-taker among Australian pacers with 20 scalps to his name.

The duo pip Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to secure their places in the combined XI.

Is this the ideal combined playing XI from Australia's Ashes 2005 and 2023 squads? Let us know what you think.