Five Ashes records that will never be broken

Records are meant to be broken but some records are so improbable that the chances of them being broken are next to none. From the days of Charles Bannerman, Don Bradman to Jim Laker, Ian Botham and more recently Alastair Cook and Steve Smith, the Ashes has been filled with plenty of record breakers.

While some of them have already scaled the mountain, others are on their way. But even for some of the best, these Ashes records are a bridge too far. The likes of Mitchell Starc, Alastair Cook, Steve Smith and James Anderson have already accomplished so much, but even they won't be able to break these records.

Here are 5 Ashes records that will never be broken:

Shane Warne's tally of wickets

The record for the most wickets in the history of Ashes matches belongs to Shane Warne. The leg-spinner finished with a staggering tally of 195 wickets from just 36 matches, which is a world record for most wickets against an opposition in Tests. In a distant second place is Glenn McGrath, who has 157 wickets.

One of the reasons why this record might never be broken is the sheer number of matches that a bowler has to play to achieve this feat. Even if the bowler goes on an incredible run like Warne, they need to play at least eight Ashes series, which means, they will have to be at the top of their game for more than a decade and a half.

Considering the number of injuries that fast bowlers suffer these days and the lack of a world-class spinner in either side now, that record looks set to remain. Even among current bowlers, James Anderson and Stuart are at 87 and 84, more than 100 wickets away and both players are in their 30s.

Don Bradman's record of most centuries

Bradman holds the world record for most centuries against an opposition in Tests

Of the many incredible records that the legendary Don Bradman holds, his tally of his 19 centuries against England is perhaps one of the most remarkable. His 19 Ashes centuries is also the world record for most centuries against a particular Test team.

While batsmen do tend to last a lot longer than bowlers, the sheer amount of matches that one has to play to achieve this record makes it next to impossible. Especially considering the fact that Jack Hobbs is on second place with just 12 centuries while among current batsmen, Steve Smith holds the record with 5.

In 37 matches, Bradman scored an incredible 19 tons, which is an average of better than a century every two Tests. For someone to even come close to matching the feat, they need to be at the top of their game for not one or two but at least 5 or 6 Ashes series. A feat that looks impossible, even for one of the best.

Highest team total in an Ashes Test

Hutton's 364 helped England post a world record total (at the time)

In the history of Test matches, only two teams have managed to breach the 900-run mark in an innings. England were the first to do that in 1938 and held the world record for highest team total in a Test until Sri Lanka broke it in 1997.

While batsmen and the quality of cricket have only gotten better, the results-oriented nature of modern Tests make such a mammoth effort almost impossible. To score over 900 runs, apart from scoring at a good run rate, a team has to bat for at least 2 days. Apart from if the team is batting to save a Test, no side, let alone Australia or England are going to bat for two days.

That is why England's record of 903/7 at The Oval, where they batted for 335.2 overs in the fifth Test that they won by an innings, which helped them level the series 1-1, is likely to remain as the highest team total in an Ashes Test.

Best figures in a Test

Laker is one of only two bowlers to pick up 10 wickets in an innings in the history of Tests

Jim Laker, who became the first man to pick up all 10 wickets in a Test innings, holds the world record for best figures in a Test match. Those figures came during the Manchester Test in the 1956 Ashes where he finished with 19/90 to help England win by an innings.

In the history of Tests, only two bowlers have managed to pick up 10 wickets in an innings. Considering the fact that teams have more than one world-class bowler and no bowler in an Ashes Test has taken more than 16 wickets in the six decades following Laker's magical spell, it is a safe bet that this record will remain the Englishman's.

Even in the last two decades, which have seen the likes of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, James Anderson and Stuart Broad turn out for both teams, no bowler has picked up more than 12 wickets. And even that came from Stuart MacGill, who finished with 12 wickets in the Sydney Test in 1999.

Most runs in Ashes Tests

Bradman is the only batsman to score over 5,000 runs against any opposition in Tests

One of the main reasons why Don Bradman's tally of most runs in Ashes Tests might never be broken is the fact that both England and Australia don't just play each other any more. There are at least six other teams that they face on a regular basis and that means that they don't get to play a bucketload of matches against each other or give a player the opportunity to do so either.

Alastair Cook, who has played in Ashes Tests since 2006, has scored just over 2,000 runs, the most among current batsmen. Don Bradman's record stands at a staggering 5028 runs in just 37 matches. That is not only the world record for most runs against any particular opposition in Tests, it is a record that is sure to stand the test of time.

Scoring at an average of almost 90, Bradman amassed over 5,000 runs against England, still the only batsman to have scored over 5,000 runs against any country. No other batsman even has over 4,000 runs. A truly unbreakable record, if there ever was one.