5 unsung heroes in the history of the Ashes

Over the years, the Ashes battles have provided the cricketing world with players who went on to make a huge impact on the game. There cannot be a bigger occasion than this for either an Australian or an English cricketer to inspire his side to glory or to salvage his nation’s pride in the grimmest of times.

And there have been players who quietly did their job and performed exceedingly well even when the spotlight was not on them. They seized the moment, absorbed pressure and helped their team get out of troublesome/tricky situations.

Let’s look at five such players who were the unsung heroes for their side in an Ashes series.

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Brad Haddin (2013-14)

Playing in the same era as Adam Gilchrist, Brad Haddin made his Test debut at the age of 30 in 2008, becoming Australia’s 400th Test player.

Haddin made up for lost time by eventually becoming vice-captain under Michael Clarke's leadership, and became a key senior figure in a side that was going through a transition.

Haddin had a couple decent Ashes series before the 2013-14 one. In the 2010-11 Ashes at home, he scored 360 runs at an average of 45 and in 2013 in England, he set a new record for most dismissals by a wicket-keeper in a Test series with 29 dismissals.

Never was he more important than during the 2013-14 Ashes clean-sweep. He bailed Australia out of tricky situations in almost every first innings of the series.

In the first Test, Australia, batting first were in deep trouble at 132/6, but Haddin along with Johnson (64) helped the hosts reach a respectable 295. Haddin (94), who top-scored and was the last wicket to fall, held one end and upped the ante after Johnson’s dismissal.

In the second innings, he scored a quick-fire 53, helping Australia declare at 401. In the second Test, Haddin went one notch higher as he scored his 4th Test hundred and along with Clarke helped Australia reach a mammoth 570.

In the following Tests, Haddin came in at 143/5, 112/5 and 97/5. From those tough positions, he helped Australia reach decent totals. He scored 55, 65 and 75 on those instances respectively.

In that series though, Johnson and Harris wreaked havoc and David Warner was the highest run-getter – and this meant the spotlight never was on Haddin. He finished the series with 493 runs in 8 innings with 5 half-centuries and a hundred.

Jonathan Trott (2010-11)

Jonathan Trott

Jonathan Trott is one of the most elegant batsmen to have played for England. He scored heavily for Warwickshire which helped him gain a place in the deciding fifth Test against Australia in the 2009 Ashes. A superb 119 in the second innings on debut helped him earn a permanent spot in the Test side.

After regaining the urn at home in 2009, England were on their quest to win an Ashes down under in 2010 as they hadn’t won an Ashes in Australia since 1986-87.

England started the first Test badly as they conceded a 221-run lead after managing only 260 in the first innings. On the back of centuries of the top 3 batsmen, England avoided defeat. Trott who came into bat at 188-1 in the 2nd innings consolidated the start as England reached 517-1 with Trott scoring an unbeaten 135 in a 6-hour stay at the crease. He backed this knock with a stroke-filled 78 in the second Test. He failed to contribute in the third Test as England stumbled to a defeat.

However, Trott was back to his best in the fourth helping England retain the urn. He scored a majestic 168 not out helping England consolidate their position of strength by garnering a huge lead. Though his last innings of the series was a duck, he capped off a brilliant series scoring 445 runs at a superb average of 89.00.

Even with Trott's numbers, Cook, Pietersen, Anderson and Broad hogged most of the limelight. But it was Trott who scored consistently to help the visitors retain the urn.

Monty Panesar and James Anderson (2009)

Anderson and Panesar were the unlikely heroes for the hosts as they England escape with a draw.

A few may question Panesar’s (who played only one Test in that series) and Anderson’s (who took only 12 wickets in 5 games) presence in this list as they didn’t have any notable performances, but they did play an important part in England’s Ashes-regaining 2-1 series win in 2009. The previous series in 2006-07 had been a nightmare for England, blanked 5-0 on Australian soil.

Australia began the 2009 Ashes dominantly as they scored a mammoth 674/6 in reply to England’s 435 in the first innings of the first Test at Cardiff. And then they had the hosts on the mat at 70/5 on the final day with almost 80 overs remaining. Paul Collingwood played a brilliant and a gutsy knock scoring 74 and more importantly playing out 245 deliveries in a 344-minute stay at the crease. But he found no support at the other end and eventually was the 9th wicket to fall with almost 12 overs to go.

Monty Panesar who had a torrid time with the ball (his figures read 1/115 in 38 overs) walked out to bat at No. 11. He joined Anderson who had batted seven overs with Collingwood. While Anderson had experience as a night-watchman, Panesar was no more than a rabbit with the bat. And a 1-0 lead for the Aussies seemed inevitable.

But then the unthinkable happened. England staged one of the greatest escapes in Test history as Anderson and Panesar played 69 deliveries to force a draw. The latter played 35 deliveries and Anderson played 53 balls to help England escape with a thrilling draw. Australia’s confidence was dented by this unexpected draw and they went on to surrender the Ashes as they crashed to a 2-1 series defeat.

Richard Ellison (1985)

Richard Ellison bowling out Martin Crowe

England were looking to regain the urn as the series was level at 1-1 after the fourth Test in 1985. Richard Ellison, a solidly built fast bowler from Kent, didn’t inspire much confidence in the public when he was recalled for the fifth Test of the 1985 Ashes, given that he had taken only 10 wickets in 5 Tests (he went wicketless in 4 innings as well).

But the last two Tests were enough for Ellison to become an Ashes hero. In the fifth Test at Edgbaston, he took 6/77 as Australia were bowled out for 335. In the second innings, he again came to haunt Australia as he picked up 4/27, skittling the visitors out for 142.

He was not done yet - in the final Test at the Oval, Ellison finished with figures of 2/35 and 5/46. His second-innings spell helped England bundle Australia out for just 129, as England secured the Ashes with another series win.

Ellison finished with 17 wickets in the series (fifth-highest) and also dismissed opposition skipper Allan Border three times in four innings. Ellison’s inclusion injected life into England’s bowling attack as he helped them win the Ashes in 1985.

Bob Massie (1972)

Bob Massie's 16/137 is still the fourth best figures in Test history.

It is indeed unfortunate that the man who took a record 16 wickets on Test debut played only five more Tests for Australia. A fast bowler hailing from Perth swung the ball monstrously and at will - and England found that out the hard way in the 1972 Ashes.

England had taken an early 1-0 lead, but Massie, on debut stunned the English batsmen with vicious out-swingers at a decent pace. He swung the ball at will en route to 8/84 and 8/53 in both of England’s innings, helping Australia to a comfortable eight-wicket win. The five-Test series was eventually drawn 2-2.

Massie’s figures of 16/137 were the best figures on Test debut before they were bettered by Narendra Hirwani, who took 8/136 in 1987-88. But his match haul of 16 wickets remain the fourth best figures in Test history.