A breathtaking Ashes series comes to an end after Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali and then Stuart Broad derailed the Australia final innings run chase at the Kia Oval.
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England’s win means that the series finished 2-2 with Australia returning home with the Ashes retained.
England used 14 players across the series, here’s how they fared over the five Tests.
Zak Crawley: 8/10
480 runs @ 53.33; one hundred, two fifties
Few had Zak Crawley down as England’s leading run-scorer prior to the series but that’s exactly where he finished. After a run of encouraging starts without a statement score, Crawley produced a sensational 189 at Old Trafford as England ran Australia ragged. Only relentless rain over days four and five prevented it from being a match-winning performance. Crawley arguably followed his hundred up with an even more authoritative knock in the second innings at the Kia Oval. His end of series tally of 480 is more than Messrs Cook and Strauss ever managed in a home Ashes series. In fact only Ian Bell in 2013 has scored more runs for England in a home Ashes series this century.
Ben Duckett: 6/10
321 runs @ 35.66; no hundreds, two fifties
A steady but unspectacular first Ashes series for Ben Duckett. His peak came at Lord’s where he twice came close to reaching three figures while his devotion to feeling ball on bat contributed to his demise on occasion in the second half of the session. But an average of 35 at the top of the order is marked improvement to what England have been used to in recent Ashes series and for the first time since in over a decade, England have a stable opening partnership.
Ollie Pope: 3/10
90 runs @ 22.50; no hundreds, no fifties
A shoulder injury brought about a premature end to the series for the England vice-captain. It isn’t a glowing endorsement for his impact on the series that England found a better balance to the side by replacing him with the recently retired Moeen Ali at No. 3. Pope’s dismissal at Lord’s, where he was caught hooking off Cameron Green just as Nathan Lyon left the field with what immediately looked like a series-ending injury, was the moment England lost their control of the second Test. Pope increasingly possesses a lop-sided international record; he averages 18.28 in 13 Tests against India and Australia.
Moeen Ali: 6/10
180 runs @ 25.71; no hundreds, one fifty
Nine wickets @ 51.44; BBI 2-34, no five-fors
On paper, it is not a vintage series but his promotion up to three ensured that England got the best out of their northern powerhouse of a middle order, while also allowing the inclusion of Chris Woakes at eight. It should be remembered just how much of a punt it was turning back to Moeen; he had played just four first-class games since the 2019 Ashes prior to the series. He also spent a significant portion of the series carrying various injuries, first a cut finger at Edgbaston and then an groin strain at the Kia Oval, where he played a major role in preventing Australia from taking the series. He picked up crucial wickets at Edgbaston and Headingley but too often leaked runs. With the bat, his 54 at Old Trafford helped lay the foundations for what followed.
Joe Root: 8/10
412 runs @ 51.50; one hundred, two fifties
Six wickets @ 28.66; BBI: 2-19, no five-fors
It feels like a long time ago now but Root started the series with one of his most supreme Test hundreds, who knows how differently the series would have looked had he not been declared on that first evening at Edgbaston. For much of the series he came off second best in his battle with Pat Cummins but towards the end, he regained that Edgbaston form with significant scores in each of the final two Tests, twice falling to deliveries that didn’t get up. His off-spin has also been far better than part-time to the extent that he was England’s most threatening bowler on day four in Manchester.
Harry Brook: 7/10
363 runs @ 40.33; no hundreds, four fifties
A more than decent first Ashes series for Brook. His fourth innings 75 kept the England dream of a comeback from 2-0 down alive; it was arguably the most impactful individual innings of the series. His aggression bordered on reckless in the opening two Tests but a slightly more refined approach in the final three Tests reaped rewards, though he was fortunate to survive a routine chance early on in his 85 at the Kia Oval.
Ben Stokes: 7/10
405 runs @ 45; one hundred, two fifties
Three wickets @ 29.66; BBI: 1-9, no five-fors
In many ways it was an extraordinary series for the England captain. Battling a chronic knee injury, Stokes only bowled in the first two Tests of the series and did so operating well below 100 per cent. With the bat, he his 155 at Lord’s is a worthy rival to his Headingley magnum opus even if he didn’t quite get England over the line on a tumultuous final day in London.
Stokes’ overarching philosophy has clearly unlocked potential within his players that wasn’t previously realised but, with England now facing at least eight years without the urn in their possession, it is fair to scrutinise some of his decisions. The ones that stick out are the declaration at Edgbaston and the composition of the bowling attack for the series finale. Surely sentimentality played too prominent a role in the selection of all of a 41-year-old, 37-year-old and a fragile 33-year-old speedster for back-to-back Tests. England’s day four performance with the ball at the Kia Oval must rank among the most toothless by an England attack in home conditions in recent years.
Jonny Bairstow: 7/10
418 runs @ 40.25; no hundreds, three fifties
Where to start? Given the nature of his injury, it is remarkable that Bairstow returned in the way he did with the bat. With the gloves though, he was too often a liability. After his 99 not out in Manchester, he delivered a typically punchy press conference where he outlined the several mitigating factors for his performance behind the stumps, primarily the severity of his injury and the time since he’d last kept wicket in red-ball cricket. Should he have kept in the first place? It’s hard to say. There was no obvious way of fitting both Foakes and Bairstow in the same side and to be fair to Bairstow, it was his sensational reaction catch to dismiss Mitchell Marsh that really turned the game into England’s favour at the Kia Oval.
Chris Woakes: 9/10
79 runs @ 19.75; no hundreds, no fifties
17 wickets @ 18.76; BBI: 5-62, one five-for
England’s forgotten man at the start of the Test summer and their player of the series at the end of it. The introduction of Woakes and Wood at Headingley took England up to another level. Along with Moeen, Woakes balanced out the side with Stokes unable to bowl in the final three Tests. While Wood’s raw pace stole most of the headlines in the win at Leeds, Woakes was the most consistently threatening bowler across the back-end of the series and while Broad was the focus of all the media attention at the end of the fifth Test, it was Woakes’ spell that swung the game back in England’s favour.
Mark Wood: 8/10
14 wickets @ 20.21; BBI: 5-34, one five-for
Wood was devastating at Headingley even clocking 96.5 miles per hour in scintillating opening spell that produced one of the most absorbing and watchful passages of play all series. Wood was a consistent threat but his speed waned as the series went on. Towards the end of the fifth Test, his speeds were five to six miles per hour down from his Headingley peak and while he was still the quickest England bowler on show, his threat was considerably reduced.
Ollie Robinson: 5/10
10 wickets @ 28.40; BBI: 3-55, no five-fors
A strange series for Robinson who lost his place in the England XI after Headingley. He entered the series short on match practice and his speeds were down on what they were in the 2022 summer but he was still a regular wicket-taker, finishing the series with an average under 30. That said, he was less penetrative against set batters as he has been in the past – he did not have the impact his recent England form suggested he may have.
Josh Tongue: 6/10
Five wickets @ 30.20; BBI: 3-98, no five-fors
A bolter selected on promise and raw attributes rather than County Championship form, Tongue immediately looked at home at Test level. All five of Tongue’s wickets at Lord’s were members of Australia’s top four; he bowled with good pace, extracted decent bounce and moved the ball both ways. England’s loyalty to their weary old guard at the end of the series prevented Tongue making another appearance. He will surely get more Ashes opportunities in the years to come but also, he surely deserved more opportunities in this series here.
Stuart Broad: 7/10
22 wickets @ 28.40; BBI: 4-65, no five-fors
A strange series for Broad. He was England’s leading man in the opening two Tests, dismissing David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne with successive deliveries at Edgbaston, taking a four-for at Lord’s and five across the match at Headingley. From that point though, the occasional loose spell crept in before he eventually announced his imminent retirement from the game on the third evening at the Kia Oval. Then, in classic Broad fashion, he then reversed that brief dip to bowl a majestic 6.4 over spell to take the final two wickets in the series-levelling win at the Kia Oval.
James Anderson: 3/10
Five wickets @ 85.40; BBI: 1-51, no five-fors
A really underwhelming series for England’s greatest ever wicket-taker. Anderson played in four of the five Tests and never took more than one wicket in an innings. His pace wasn’t down but his movement, both off the pitch and through the air, was noticeably down, essentially negating his threat on what were generally slow and flat pitches. Anderson hasn’t yet announced his retirement and there’s an argument to be made that in his current guise, he is more suited for a tour of India than a home summer. He count himself fortunate to have played in every Test but one.
