Ashes 2019: 5 players who shone the brightest in the series

The 2019 Ashes featured 5 Test matches, with both Australia and England winning two matches each and one ending in a draw. The tournament’s dead even 2-2 result shows the competitiveness of both sides.

There was quality all across the board in both squads. David Warner and Steve Smith, who were serving a one-year ban for their involvement in the sandpaper incident, returned to Test cricket in this series. For the English Jofra Archer made his Test debut after an impressive World Cup outing, and contributed immensely.

Steve Smith

A historic tournament like the Ashes never fails to excite the players. Almost everyone looked eager to contribute whatever was necessary for their respective teams, but some were more successful in that than others.

Here, we look at five players who were fortunate enough to bring out their best in the series.

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#5 Stuart Broad

MATCHES - 5; WICKETS - 23; AVERAGE - 26.65

Stuart Broad

Stuart Broad was lethal against Australia’s left-handed batsmen. David Warner in particular struggled big time against the veteran fast bowler and was dismissed seven times by him.

A bowler has dismissed a particular player seven times in a single series on just five other occasions. The last time such an instance took place was in the previous Ashes, where Aussie spinner Nathan Lyon did the same to Moeen Ali.

Targeting a particular top-level batsman and exploiting his weakness shows the tactical brilliance of Broad. In the absence of long-term bowling partner James Anderson, Broad stepped up and made things even.

Broad's best performance in this series came in the first innings of the first match where he took a 5-wicket haul.

He took 23 wickets overall and was the leading wicket-taker for England at the end of the series. Broad also finished the series as the second-highest wicket-taker from both sides.

Things look optimistic for Broad right now, and his performances have given some rest to the retirement rumors.

#4 Jofra Archer

MATCHES - 4; WICKETS - 22; AVERAGE - 20.27

Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer made his Test debut in this series, during the second match at Lord’s, but he finished as the third-highest leading wicket-taker. Overshadowing experienced bowlers like Chris Woakes, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, Archer showed the world a glimpse of his extraordinary talent.

The Barbadian-born fast bowler stood out in the series by bowling a wide variety of deliveries at raw pace. Archer’s best performance of the series was during the final Test, where he took six wickets in the first innings and won the Player of the Match award. The pacer also took two 5-wicket hauls - the most in the series.

Archer still has a long way to go, but we can say that he is on the right path. England would do well to try everything in their power to further his development; the 24-year-old seems like the right player to spearhead the England bowling attack for the foreseeable future.

#3 Pat Cummins

MATCHES - 5; WICKETS - 29; AVERAGE - 19.62

Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins finished as the highest wicket-taker from both sides. He also made a bit of history in the process; Cummins' haul of 29 wickets is the highest by an Australian bowler on foreign soil since Glenn McGrath’s 32 wickets in the 2001 series against England.

The 26-year-old played all the matches in the series and bowled 211 overs, which is the most by an Australian fast bowler in this century. Cummins' best performance came in the second innings of the first match, where he took 4 wickets in 11 overs.

Interestingly, Cummins never took a 5-wicket haul in the series. The last time an Australian pacer took the most wickets without a fifer was in the 1977-78 Ashes: Wayne Clark.

It is clear that the hard work and dedication of Cummins are helping him carve out a special place for himself in the pantheon of great fast bowlers.

#2 Ben Stokes

INNINGS - 10; RUNS - 441; WICKETS -8

Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes was England’s best player throughout the series. The all-rounder was excellent with both the bat and the ball, scoring over 400 runs and taking eight wickets. His match-winning knock of 135 at Headingley gave England their first win of the series.

Stokes received the Player of the Match award two consecutive times in the series: one for the aforementioned Headingley performance and the other at Lord’s, where he scored 115 in the second innings.

Stokes finished as the highest run-getter for England in the series, overshadowing specialist batsmen like Joe Root and Joe Denly. Stokes also had the second-highest average (55.12) in the series, and scored the most sixes (13).

The character shown by Stokes is a positive take-away for the England team; the all-rounder proved to be a valiant fighter in several challenging phases of the game.

#1 Steve Smith

INNINGS - 7; Runs - 774; AVERAGE - 110.57

Steve Smith

Steve Smith’s performance throughout the 2019 Ashes was spectacular. The former captain wore the Test jersey after almost a year, but his form looked impeccable. Many believe Smith's return to international cricket is one of the best comebacks in Test cricket history.

Surrounded by a hostile England crowd who constantly mocked him for his involvement in the sandpaper controversy, Smith ignored the negativity and batted like a dream. He broke a slew of records in the process.

The right-hander equaled Sunil Gavaskar’s record of the second-highest runs (774) in a four-match series. Smith’s best performance came in the first innings of the fourth Test where he notched up a double century. The 211 he scored at Old Trafford was also the highest individual score of the 2019 Ashes.

Smith won the Player of the Match twice in this series and bagged the Player of the Series in the end.