5 underrated performances in Ashes history

Every time an Ashes series is around the corner, there’s a lot of buzz around and the pressure soars high. Over the years, the battles between England and Australia have provided the cricketing world with players who made a great impact on the game.

There are players who relish the big stage and want to raise their game in order to help their team’s cause. These types of players draw everyone’s attention in almost every game they play.

But there are a few players who go about their work quietly and do their job wonderfully well. However, their performances largely go unnoticed because they weren’t as impactful as some of the other teammates. Let us take a look at five such performances which went unnoticed in the history of the Ashes.

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#5 Moeen Ali (1st Test, 2015) – 77 & 15, 2/71 & 3/59

On the back of a nightmare Ashes down under in 2013-14, hosts England were keen to erase those memories as quickly as possible. But they got off to a poor start as they were reduced to 43/3 in the first hour of the first Test.

But Joe Root’s counter-attacking 134 and Stokes’s 52 helped them rebuild the innings. However, after the dismissal of both set batsmen, England were in a peculiar position at 293/6 and it looked like the hosts would be bowled out for less than 350.

But Moeen Ali (who walked in at number eight) started taking the attack to the Aussie bowlers. He scored a stroke-filled 77 off 88 balls including 11 fours and one huge six. The left-hander took England from 293/6 to a formidable total of 430.

Ali wasn’t done yet. England looked a little flat in the field when Rogers and Smith were motoring along nicely to propel Australia to 129/1. When his team needed him to come good, Ali struck gold as he sent back the in-form Steve Smith (33) and skipper Clarke for 38 to reduce Australia to 208/4 which eventually became 308 all out.

Extra Cover: Under the SKanner - Moeen Ali

In the second innings, Ali didn’t contribute much with the bat as he scored only 15. But with the pitch deteriorating rapidly, his role with the ball became crucial. And he delivered. The off-spinner picked 3/59. His timely dismissals of David Warner and Brad Haddin helped England bowl Australia out for 242 and take a 1-0 lead in the series.

While Joe Root was declared the Man of the Match for his splendid batting in both innings, Ali’s performance went unnoticed.

#4 Ian Botham (1st Test, 1985) – 3/86 & 4/107, 60 & 12

It was one of those rare occasions when his teammates stole the limelight from Ian Botham

After losing the Ashes for the first time since 1975, England were looking to regain the urn in 1982/83. Australia opted to bat first after winning the toss at Leeds and feasted on some poor bowling on the opening day from England. Soon, the visitors started to take control of the Test match as they reached 200/2.

But a collective effort from the English bowlers ensured Australia could only get to 331. Ian Botham played an important part as he kept the run-flow in check and picked up three wickets as well.

England’s innings started shakily but a fine 175 from Mark Robinson provided stability. Botham chipped in with a quickfire 51-ball 60 as England posted a huge score of 533. In the second innings, the Durham all-rounder picked up four wickets to help England restrict Australia to 324. England achieved the target of 123 with ease and gained a 1-0 lead.

Robinson was awarded the Player of the Match for his 175 and Botham’s stellar show was kept away from the limelight. With Emburey’s five-wicket haul in the second innings receiving acclaim, the usually headline-grabbing Botham did not fully get the credit for role in England's victory.

#3 Shane Warne (3rd Test, 1997) - 6/48 & 3/63, 53 (Second Innings)

Warne's record in the Ashes is simply magnificent

Going into the third Test of the 1997 series, Australia were trailing 1-0 and consequently found themselves in a situation that had not happened during the preceding few Ashes series.

In the third Test, Australia batted first after winning the toss on a greenish pitch under overcast conditions. Riding on the back of Steve Waugh’s stellar 108, they scored 235. Thus, England would’ve fancied their chances of a decent lead. They also had a decent start and were placed well at 74/1.

But, Shane Warne ran through England's batting line-up to end up with figures of 6/48. The hosts folded for 162 and handed Australia an important lead of 73 runs. Warne then contributed with the bat in the second innings. His crucial 53 enabled the visitors to stretch their lead to 468. Waugh continued to soak in the accolades for his second hundred of the game.

In the second innings, Warne took three wickets to help his team bowl England out for 200 and level the series 1-1. The Man of the Match award went to Steve Waugh for his twin centuries. However, Warne’s 9-wicket haul in the match set up the Test match for Australia who went on to win the next couple of Tests to retain the Ashes.

#2 Brad Haddin (1st Test, 2013) – 94 & 53

Brad Haddin was one of the vital cogs of the Australian team during the 2013/14 Ashes

Australia had gone without winning the Ashes for about seven years (they had lost three consecutive series) when the 2013/14 series started down under. The first Test started in a disappointing fashion for the hosts as they slipped to 132/6 midway through the first day.

They needed to get to a competitive score on what looked like a good pitch to bat on. Brad Haddin was at the crease with the hard-hitting Mitchell Johnson. The wicket-keeper batsman’s form was scratchy in the lead up to the Test.

However, Haddin took the attack to England. He scored a brilliant counter-attacking 94 and stitched together a game-changing partnership with Mitchell Johnson. The duo's efforts led Australia to a competitive total of 295.

Johnson and Harris blew away England’s batting line-up for just 136. With a big lead in the second innings, Haddin scored a quick-fire 53 to help Australia declare with a lead of 561.

Johnson’s 9 wickets in the match to go along with a well-made 64 earned him the Player of the Match award. But, Haddin’s performance helped Australia get out of early trouble and set the tone for the series.

#1 Monty Panesar and James Anderson (1st Test, 2009)

Anderson and Panesar showed great character with the bat

Australia started off the 2009 Ashes dominantly. They managed to gain a big lead of 239 after posting a mammoth total of 674 in their first innings in reply to England’s 435.

Even in the second innings, they continued to dominate as they had England on the mat at 70/5 on the fifth day with almost 80 overs left. Paul Collingwood played a gutsy knock of 74 after batting for almost 6 hours. When he fell with almost 12 overs still remaining in the day, England’s chances of securing a draw were low.

Panesar was England’s number eleven. When the left-arm spinner walked out to join Anderson after Collingwood’s dismissal, an Australia win looked inevitable. But the two tailenders managed to do the unthinkable. They helped England escape with a draw by playing out 11.3 overs.

This draw went a long way in deciding the result of the series as England managed to win 2-1 and regained the Ashes.