Top 5 batting performances - The Ashes in England 2013

England won the 5-match Test series 3-0 (Getty Images)

Test cricket can be a funny game. In the recently concluded Ashes, Australia had first innings leads in four of the five matches. They were the only team to touch 500 in an innings and almost did it twice; England never went beyond 377. Four of the Australian top six made centuries along with a 98 from a number 11; England had only three batsmen who breached the three figure mark. Yet, at the end of the series, the scoreline reads 3-0 to England.

Similarly, four of the top five batting performances in the series belong to the Australians according to me. I rate Kevin Pietersen’s last day 62 very highly – he does seem to have something for the last day of an Ashes series. That however slots in at number 6 in my list, only and only because of the end result of the match; I believe that had Pietersen been out there in the middle, the match would have been over much earlier and we would not have to go into all this controversy.

The top five performances are not just high scores, but high scores made in relatively difficult conditions and/or match (and series) situations. Hence, without taking away anything from his performances, neither of Ian Bell’s three centuries figure in this list as I feel that, more often than not, he came in when the fragile Australian attack (consisting of injury-prone pacers and inconsistent spinners) had already expended most of its energy on dismissing the top three (Alastair Cook, Joe Root and Jonathan Trott).

1) Shane Watson (176, 5th Test, 1st innings)

Shane Watson celebrates his century during day one of the 5th Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at the Kia Oval on August 21, 2013 in London, England. (Getty Images)

It’s the first day of the last Test match of what has been a gruellingly disastrous tour. Your team has already surrendered the Ashes and is now just playing for pride. You yourself have been a shadow of your past great self and, after innumerable shunts up and down the order, now find yourself at the new position of number 3 where none of your predecessors have made a Test century in the past two years. What do you do?

You simply start to take the bowling by the scruff of its neck and do what you do best – bat. You feast on the two debutant bowlers of the opposition giving one of them permanent nightmares, which a lifetime of paying through the nose to the psychiatrist would not cure. You bat like Shane Watson bats. 25 boundaries and one almighty six later, Australia was one step closer to posting their first victory on tour. They can only blame the increment weather for the same and thank the bad light for preventing a reverse.

2) Michael Clarke (187, 3rd Test, 1st innings)

Michael Clarke celebrates his century during day one of the 3rd Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at Old Trafford Cricket Ground on August 1, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)

Back-to-back losses in the first two Tests had pushed the Australians to the wall. None of their batsmen had made centuries in the previous two games – a trend which could be extended to the previous India series where their captain Michael Clarke was the only one to make a century in the first Test.

Australia started well with Shane Watson playing like Chris Rogers and Chris Rogers playing like Shane Watson. But once Rogers fell for 84 with the scoreboard at 129 for 3, Australia seemed to be tracing the same route they had in their previous outings.

Only for Michael Clarke to step up to play a captain’s knock. With Steve Smith and Brad Haddin for company, Clarke stabilised the innings and then built it up step by step to record the first 400+ score of the series. He had come in at 82 for 2 and by the time he had departed the scoreboard read 427 for 6.

More than half of those runs had come from Clarke’s free flowing blade as the trio of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan were not only taken to the cleaners, but also thrown into the Laundromat. Haddin and Mitchell Starc added insult to injury by taking the score past 500, but the damage had already been done. Weather again put paid to Clarke’s chances of winning a Test after the England team were reeling at 37 for 3 in the second innings.

3) Joe Root (180, 2nd Test, 3rd innings)

Joe Root of England celebrates his century during day three of the 2nd Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at Lord’s Cricket Ground on July 20, 2013 in London, England. (Getty Images)

The only knock by an Englishman and the only 2nd innings knock in this list. After bundling out Australia for 128 and taking a lead of over 200 in the first innings, England found themselves in a spot of bother at 30 for 3 with Cook, Trott and Pietersen back in the pavilion. The other opener Root had not acquitted himself in his new role so far and talks about Nick Compton reclaiming his position at the top of the order had started to surface.

It was exactly at this point of time that Joe started taking root. With nightwatchman Bresnan for company, Root led England to a position where they could feel safe and, then with Ian Bell, he started counter-attacking the Australian bowlers. Slowly but surely, he ground Australia out of the match and by the time he was dismissed trying to up the ante, the match had long slipped out of the opposition’s grasp. He did his bit with the ball too sniping out the two half-centurions Usman Khawaja and Clarke.

4) Ashton Agar (98, 1st Test, 2nd innings)

Ashton Agar acknowledges the crowd after being dismissed by Stuart Broad of England for 98 runs during day two of the 1st Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground on July 11, 2013 in Nottingham, England. (Getty Images)

Probably the most celebrated knock of this year across all formats. Even if Michael Clarke or Kevin Pietersen had played this knock coming in at number 4, this knock would have made it here simply because of the way it took the wind out of the opposition’s sails.

Add to that all the other factors – Australia looking at a deficit close to 100 runs, Agar playing his first Test, Agar batting at number 11, etc. – and you do not have a single reason why this innings should be excluded from our list.

5) Steve Smith (138, 5th Test, 1st innings)

Steve Smith celebrates after reaching his maiden century during day two of the 5th Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at the Kia Oval on August 22, 2013 in London, England. (Getty Images)

Steve Smith was long considered the Sir Ravindra Jadeja of Australia. Hence it is fitting that, along with the latter, he chose 2013 as the year of his renaissance. A lot of eyebrows would have been raised when Steve Smith played all five Ashes Tests – he was added to the original squad only as an afterthought. Before Phil Hughes and Agar got together, Smith had been the only redeeming factor of the Australian innings in the first innings at Nottingham, and at Manchester he provided good support to Clarke but was unlucky to miss out on his century.

Opportunity sometimes comes knocking twice and Smith got his chance at The Oval after Watson had imposed himself on the new look English bowling attack. When Watson was finally dismissed, Australia was 289 for 4 and things could have easily gone pear –shaped from there. It was then that Smith decided to go into namesake Steve Waugh mode as he shepherded the lower order to take Australia closer to 500. Smith’s knock was the anti-thesis of Watson’s innings and both deserve their pride of place on this list.