Anything that could go wrong did go wrong for England, as they launched the 1990s with arguably their most shambolic performance of a forgettable decade. On paper, there was little between the sides –the gap would get considerably wider over the next few series – but England threw away a succession of promising positions with some of the most dramatic batting collapses of all time. At Brisbane, they turned a first-innings lead into a ten-wicket defeat; and at Melbourne, Bruce Reid took 13 wickets in the most crushing capitulation of the series. Off-field issues dogged England’s preparations. Gooch needed a career-saving operation on his poisoned hand and missed the first Test; Fraser, their most dependable bowler, sustained a hip injury that ultimately ruled him out for two and a half years, and when Gower and John Morris took to the skies in a Tiger Moth, the team’s laughing-stock status was confirmed. England restored some pride at Sydney and Adelaide, but the fifth Test at Perth was a reversion to type, as McDermott cleaned up with 11 wickets.
Australia 3 England 0
The defining moment of this series occurred on the second day of the opening Test at Old Trafford, when Shane Warne’s first delivery in an Ashes contest turned into an unplayable legbreak that bowled Mike Gatting. The moment sent a chill down every English spine, and Warne capitalised to the fullest extent with 34 wickets for the series. He was given some valuable assistance by Tim May, Paul Reiffel and especially, Merv Hughes, who led the line after Craig McDermott suffered a twisted bowel during the Lord’s Test and flew home early. Warne’s wiles were made possible by some heavy scoring from Australia’s batsmen. All of the top seven made at least one century, and David Boon registered three. Michael Slater emerged as a heavy-scoring opening partner for Mark Taylor – they contributed an opening stand of 260 at Lord's – while Border and Steve Waugh's unbeaten stand of 332 at Headingley was the biggest partnership of the series. With the series already lost, Mike Atherton replaced Gooch as captain ahead of the fourth Test, and the chairman of selectors, Ted Dexter, stood down soon afterwards, having selected 24 players in the summer. One of these, Graham Thorpe, scored a century on debut to lift English spirits at Trent Bridge, while the pace attack of Malcolm, Fraser and Watkin gained England a belated victory at The Oval.
Australia 4 England 1.
A new captain for Australia, but the same old story for England, who were comprehensively outplayed while the Ashes were still at stake, only to rally belatedly when there was nothing but pride to play for. The first ball of the series, a DeFreitas long-hop, was spanked for four by Slater, and the tone of the series had been set. Warne wrapped up the Brisbane Test with 8 for 71 after Taylor had declined to enforce the follow-on, and followed up with a hat-trick to seal the second Test at Melbourne. England rallied at Sydney, thanks to the efforts of Darren Gough – whose ebullient batting and bowling lifted the spirits, until he was forced to fly home with a broken bone in his foot; and Angus Fraser, who was controversially overlooked for the original squad, and won, astonishingly, at Adelaide, but Perth was a reversion to type, as Gooch and Gatting bowed out of international cricket with a 329-run defeat.
Australia 3 England 1
The Australians, captained by Mark Taylor, started the series shakily when they lost eight wickets in the first twenty overs of the series. Hussain's double century was the standout of England's thumping four-day victory at Edgbaston, but Taylor's courageous century when his career seemed all washed up, was an emotional highlight. Glenn McGrath's 8 for 38 at Lord's was the lasting memory of a rain-affected draw. The Australian juggernaut gathered momentum as the series progressed, and they drew level with a big win at Old Trafford highlighted by dual centuries from Steve Waugh. Headingley brought an innings victory, and when Mark
Waugh caught Devon Malcolm off McGrath's bowling the Nottingham Test was won and the Ashes remained in Australia's keeping. An exciting England victory at The Oval, with Phil Tufnell taking 11 for 93, meant the scoreline flattered against a powerful Australian outfit under a brilliant leader.
Australia 3 England 2
Like 1997, Mark Taylor's Australians were dominant - but like 1997, they dropped their guard often enough to keep the interest alive. Alec Stewart's Englishmen were saved from defeat in Brisbane by a ferocious last-day thunderstorm. No such luck in Perth where they were obliterated in two and a half days. When Peter Such fell leg before to Glenn McGrath at Adelaide the Ashes were retained before Christmas. Steve Waugh rescued Australia from batting collapse in this series several times. Michael Slater's three second innings centuries all set up unbeatable leads, while Stuart MacGill showed that Shane Warne - unavailable till the last Test - was not missed. For England it was the bowlers who provided the only
joy, especially Dean Headley - who spearheaded an amazing 12-run win at Melbourne - and Darren Gough, whose hat-trick in Sydney was like something out of a dream. Australia was presented for the first time with a new crystal replica of the Ashes urn.
Australia 3 England 1
Four wins and a draw in their last five series had given England renewed optimism that they could at last mount a challenge for the Ashes, but in 2001, Australia were approaching the absolute peak of their powers. Had it not been for a generous declaration at Headingley, followed by the performance of Mark Butcher’s life, Australia would surely have won 5-0. Several factors contributed to Australia’s dominance – the enduring excellence of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, who shared 63 wickets in the series, and the revolutionary arrival of Adam Gilchrist as a rampaging counterattacking No. 7 – his whirlwind 152 at Edgbaston and 90 at Lord’s were the defining performances of the opening two victories. England’s form and fitness, meanwhile, crumbled with alarming haste. Graham Thorpe missed four Tests with a calf strain; the captain, Nasser Hussain was ruled out at Lord’s with a broken finger, and Gough and Caddick, England’s bowling spearheads, were collared from the start. Mere victory, however, wasn’t enough for Steve Waugh. Despite tearing his calf muscle at Trent Bridge, he returned in time for the fifth Test at The Oval, his final appearance on English soil, and hobbled on one leg to a bloody-mindedly brilliant 157 not out.
Australia 4 England 1
England were clutching at straws from the moment this series began. Their squad included two trump cards in Gough, whose damaged left knee stubbornly refused to yield to treatment, and Flintoff, who arrived incapable of walking after a hernia operation, and neither played any part in the series. All this and more was playing on Hussain’s mind when he won the toss in the first Test at Brisbane … and chose to field. It was a desperately defensive statement, and by the time Australia had reached 364 for 2 by the close, the series was already lost. In Flintoff’s absence, England fielded a hopelessly ill-balanced team – Craig White at No. 7 was no match for Gilchrist – and by the time they had been terrorised by Brett Lee on a Perth flyer, the series had been wrapped up in just 11 days. England did, however, take two shreds of good cheer out of the series – the form and unflappability of Vaughan, who took the Man-of-the-Series award with 633 of the coolest runs ever compiled in Australia; and the result of the fifth and final Test at Sydney, when Australia, deprived through injury of both McGrath and Warne, were comprehensively outplayed. Caddick, in his final Test, took 10 wickets, and England were given a glimpse of a brighter future – however distant.
Australia 4 England 1
After 16 years of effortless Australian dominance, England finally regained the Ashes in one of the most thrilling series of all time. At
Lord's in late-July, 17 wickets tumbled on a frenzied first day, but Australia emerged triumphant with a 239-run win. Ten days later at
Edgbaston, however, McGrath trod on a stray cricket ball and the course of the summer had irrevocably changed. A thrilling match ensued, in which Flintoff and Warne emerged as the two kingpin performers. England won at the last gasp, by 2 runs, and carried their momentum onto
Old Trafford, where 10,000 fans were turned away on the final morning as secured a draw with their last pair at the crease. A Flintoff century at
Trent Bridge put England firmly on top, but Lee and Warne refused to give up the ghost, combining superbly as England lost seven wickets in their pursuit of 129. The win, however, meant that England needed only avoid defeat at
The Oval. That didn't seem entirely likely as they slumped to 126 for 5 before lunch on the final day, but Kevin Pietersen cracked a blistering maiden Test century to put the result beyond doubt. Cue scenes of jubilation across a captivated nation. England 2 Australia 1
