Decoding the unique records in Ashes history
Cricket fans must gear up as Australia and England are set to cross swords in the Ashes, the oldest rivalry in cricket's history. The 2023 edition will be played in England with the five-match series starting on June 16. An exciting contest is on the cards as the two sides have been phenomenal in Test cricket lately. Here we decode the unique Ashes records.
10 consecutive 50+ scores for Smith
Smith racked up 774 runs at an average of 110.57 in the 2019 Ashes. It was his comeback Test series following the ball-tampering ban. Smith became the first-ever batter to have aggregated 500 or more runs in three successive Ashes series. He recorded 10 consecutive 50+ scores against England (2017 and 2019). No other batter has scored more successive fifty-plus scores against a team.
Cummins's feat in Ashes 2019
Pat Cummins returned with 29 wickets in Ashes 2019. While he snapped two four-wicket hauls, the speedster did not take a single fifer. No other bowler has taken as many or more wickets in a bilateral Test series without a fifer in the last 40 years. Meanwhile, Cummins's tally of 73 Ashes wickets in 14 Tests since 2017 is the most by a bowler.
The historic last-wicket stand in Headingley
Ben Stokes and Jack Leach were involved in a historic 76*-run last-wicket stand in the 2019 Ashes Test in Headingley. In a winning cause, this is the highest last-wicket partnership in the fourth innings of an Ashes Test. Overall in Tests, this partnership stands second in this regard, behind Kusal Perera and Vishwa Fernando's 78-run stand in the 2019 Durban Test versus South Africa.
Don Bradman tops the run-scoring charts
Sir Donald Bradman scored 5,028 runs in the Ashes, from 1928 to 1948. The next on the list is England's Sir Jack Hobbs (3,636 runs). Notably, Bradman slammed 19 Ashes centuries, seven more than second-placed Hobbs (12). He averages an incredible 89.78 in the series. Among active players, Steve Smith (3,044) owns the most Ashes runs.
Most wickets in the Ashes
Legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne accounted for 195 wickets in his Ashes career. The 52-year-old, whose Ashes career spanned from 1993-2007, sits on the top of the list. The next-best is Glenn McGrath, with 157 scalps. Warne also owns the joint-most 10-wicket hauls (4) in the Ashes. Among the active bowlers, veteran pacer Stuart Broad has the most Ashes wickets (131).
Highest and lowest totals
England own the highest team total in Ashes history, having declared at 903/7 in 1938 at the Oval. This is the second-highest team score in Test cricket to date. Sir Leonard Hutton scored 364 runs in that contest, the highest individual score in Ashes to date. Meanwhile, the lowest Ashes total (36) was made by Australia in 1902 in Birmingham.
Here are the elite all-rounders
Only four all-rounders have accomplished the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in the Ashes. England's Ian Botham (1,486 and 128), Australia's Monty Noble (1,905 and 115), England's Wilfred Rhodes (1,706 and 109), and Australia's George Giffen (1,131 and 101) form the elite list.
Here are some unbreakable records
Bradman mustered 974 runs in 1903, the most in a single Ashes edition. Former Aussie wicket-keeper Ian Healy accounted for 135 dismissals in his Ashes career (most). Botham plundered 54 catches as an outfielder. Australia conceded 61 extras in an Ashes Test in 1989. Bill Ponsford and Bradman's 451-run stand for the second wicket is an all-time Ashes record (highest partnership).
