7 players who always stepped up in the Ashes

There's something about the Ashes that makes it supremely exciting. There are sparks flying, and the kind of electricity in the air can only be rivaled by an India-Pakistan match, if at all. The Ashes is so exciting that it finds its place in the legendary the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. But pop culture and fans apart, the Ashes has seen some tremendous performances over the years. Here are our favourite seven players who have stepped up to the occassion and played their hearts out.

#7 Michael Vaughan

Vaughan is one of those players you immediately relate to the Ashes

Vaughan’s batting average speaks for itself. His career Test batting average stands at 41.44, but if you look at his batting average only for the Ashes, then it is a considerably higher 47.95. He is a legend who scored 633 runs, including three centuries in the 2002-03 Ashes. He broke England’s dry spell, leading them to an Ashes victory in 2005 after eighteen long years.

His career launched in the real sense in the 2002-03 Ashes, where after a poor start in the first Test, he scored 177 and 41 in the next. During the fourth Test, he scored 145. And in the final Test, he was declared out at 185 which was actually a wrong decision. Vaughan is one of those cricketers who will forever be remembered in relation to the Ashes, as a formidable enemy by the Aussies.

#6 Jim Laker

Laker is a legend to this day

The name of Jim Laker is synonymous with England’s win in 1956 at Old Trafford, where he took 19 Australian wickets. No other bowler has been able to take more than 17 wickets.

This match is now referred to as ‘Laker’s match’. While his career bowling average stands at a commendable 21.24, his bowling average in the Ashes is an impressive 18.27. In the 1956 Test series, due to Laker’s 45 wickets, a record was established for a five-Test Ashes series, and remains unbroken to this day.

Because of this he became the first cricketer ever to be awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 1956.

#5 Allan Border

Border celebrating winning the urn

Border is one of those cricketers that come along once in a while, pick up a team when they are down in the dumps, and remind them what it feels like to be world champions again. On his first Ashes tour, Border batted consistently and scored a half-century in each of the two Tests.

Even though he had a fractured finger in the fifth Test, he still bowled. He scored 533 at an average of 59.22, which led to Sir Leonard Hutton calling him the best left handed batsman in the world. In 1993, he carved a record for himself by becoming the second player to lead Australia in England on three Ashes tours.

In the 1990-91 Ashes, Australia won 3-0, and Border scored 281 runs. But his most memorable win was the 1989 Ashes tour, where Australia performed its best since the Invincibles tour of 1948. For his contribution, he was named the 1989 Asutralian of the Year.

#4 Steve Waugh

Waugh started off lukewarm, but quickly became one of the most celebrated cricketers.

Waugh is remembered mostly as a very efficient captain, as he led his team to a successful World Cup victory. He is the second most capped player in history, second only to Sachin Tendulkar.

His stint in the 1994-95 Ashes is remembered fondly, where he fell shy of a century twice, scoring 94 and 99 not out. He was in great form in the 2001 Ashes, with Waugh leading the team to victory after a period of slump.

He scored 105 in the first Test, and in the final Test innings scored 157 not out, playing with his brother Mark Waugh for a partnernship of 197. His play was impressive, but it was just another level in the Ashes. His career Test batting average is 50.06, but his Ashes batting average is 58.18.

#3 Shane Warne

The golden boy of the Australian bowling attack

Affectionately called ‘Warney’, Warne was the bowler who brought back leg spin into the main fray. He was first selected in the Ashes in 1993. In the six-Test series, he took a whopping 34 wickets. In this series, the first ball he bowled has been named the ‘ball of the century’.

His performance just improved with time, leaving fans crazy and breathless with anticipation. In the 1994-94 Ashes, Warne took 27 wickets in a five-match series. In the second Test, he took a hattrick. He secured the Ashes for Australia in the third Test by persisting for 19 overs in fading daylight.

In 2002, it seemed the Aussies would lose the Ashes, as they did not start well. Warne rose to the occassion yet again and took 24 wickets at an average of 24.04. Listing all the achievements of Warne would take a whole lot of pages, but suffice to say, he was one of the best cricketers that Australia had. His last Test match, which was also the last Test of Glenn McGrath, Damien Martyn and Justin Langer, has been dscribed by Ricky Ponting as the ‘end of an era’.

#2 Glenn McGrath

McGrath has been key to Australia’s Ashes wins

In the 2005 Ashes series, McGrath became the fourth bowler in cricketing history to take 500 wickets. Australia went on to decisively win the match, and he was adjudged man of the match. McGrath has had injury problems, and to a keen observer it would be visible that England’s wins coincided with his absence.

He took a break in April 2006, and came back to the national Australian side after the ICC Champions Trophy. He bagged six wickets. This was to be his final Test series, and he did excellently well.

Australia won back the Ashes in a record fifteen days play. McGrath took 21 wickets in the series, and one significant catch. He now runs the McGrath Foundation, that fights against breast cancer. He started it with his deceased wife. He has been included in Australia’s greatest cricketers of all time by ESPNcricinfo.

#1 Ian Botham

Botham has since donned the role of commentator

Sir Ian Botham on his very first day of Test match cricket took five Australian wickets. Nicknamed ‘Beefy’, he is said to be one of England’s finest all-rounders of all time. His career Test bowling average is bettered only by his Ashes bowling average. He was made captain of the England side a mere three years after joining them.

Structured and explosive, he was the perfect player but did not do well as a captain. The most famous innings of Botham, ranked by Wisden as the 4th best innings of all time, was in 1981, after Botham resigned as a captain after a dismal performance in the first two Tests of the Ashes series.

The third Test did not go well for England at all. Australia played very well and the England top order folded with a handful of runs. At 135 for 7, it looked like England would lose miserably. Graham Dilley joined Botham at the crease, and that is when the course of the game changed.

By close of play, Botham had struck 145 not out. On the final day's play there was time for just four more runs from Botham before Willis was out and Botham was left on 149 not out. England eventually won by 18 runs, becoming the second team in the history of Test cricket that a team following-on won a match.