The much anticipated Ashes 2023 just concluded on Monday, and boy, did it live up to the expectations as both Australia and England ended the hard-fought series with 2 wins each.
Australia, still fresh from their emphatic World Test Championship finals against India, started the Ashes strongly, winning the first 2 games and having one hand on the Ashes. But the hosts, England, came back strongly in the next 2 games.
They won the third game rather convincingly before outplaying the visitors in the fourth Test as well. It was only due to rain that Australia was able to escape with a draw, and with that, Australia was able to retain the Ashes and had the chance to win an overseas Ashes for the first time since 2001.
As expected, the fifth Test at The Oval proved to be a humdinger, with England trumping the Aussies in the end to level the series 2-2. The occasion became the talk of the town as one of the best Test series ever played in recent memory, and it proved to be a fitting firewall for one of the legends of the game, Stuart Broad.
Let us look at some of the stats with regard to this memorable series.
Most Runs in Ashes 2023
| PLAYER | INNS | RUNS | HS | AVG | SR | 100/50 | NOT-OUTS | DUCKS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usman Khawaja (AUS) | 10 | 496 | 141 | 49.60 | 39.27 | 1/3 | 0 | – |
| Zak Crawley (ENG) | 9 | 480 | 189 | 53.33 | 88.72 | 1/2 | 0 | – |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 9 | 412 | 118* | 51.50 | 74.77 | 1/2 | 1 | – |
| Ben Stokes (ENG) | 9 | 405 | 155 | 45.00 | 64.69 | 1/2 | 0 | – |
| Steve Smith (AUS) | 10 | 373 | 110 | 37.29 | 56.09 | 1/2 | 0 | – |
| Harry Brook (ENG) | 9 | 363 | 85 | 40.33 | 78.74 | 0/4 | 0 | – |
| Travis Head (AUS) | 10 | 362 | 77 | 36.20 | 71.11 | 0/3 | 0 | – |
| Marnus Labuschagne (AUS) | 10 | 328 | 111 | 32.79 | 46.99 | 1/1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jonny Bairstow (ENG) | 9 | 322 | 99* | 40.25 | 77.03 | 0/3 | 1 | |
| Ben Duckett (ENG) | 9 | 321 | 98 | 35.66 | 75.88 | 0/2 | 0 | – |
Key insights from the above stats
Zak Crawley was the highest run-getter for England with 480 runs, and it came at an average of 53.33, which is quite outstanding given the fact that he was under pressure before coming into this series.
Likewise, his Australian counterpart, Usman Khawaja, ended up the leading run scorer for the visiting team with 506 runs and became the oldest to score over 500 runs in an Ashes series since Don Bradman.
Only 7 batters scored a century in this Ashes series, and they were all by different batters. No batsmen scored more than one century.
Zak Crawley and Joe Root are the only batters who averaged over 50 among the batters who have scored over 400 runs in the 2023 Ashes. Mitchell Marsh also averaged 50 in the series, but he scored only 250 runs in the 3 Tests he played.
Australia star batter Steve Smith, who was unstoppable in the 2019 Ashes, could not replicate his success this time as he had a quiet time, making only 373 runs in 10 innings with one century.
England skipper Ben Stokes scored 405 runs in the Ashes, and this includes a stunning knock at Lord’s, where his 155 almost took England past home.
Also Read: Top 10: Most Runs in a Single Ashes Series
Most Wickets in Ashes 2023
| PLAYER | INNS | WICKETS | BBI | BBM | AVG | ECON | SR | 5/10 WKT HAULS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 7 | 23 | 5/78 | 8/182 | 27.08 | 4.86 | 33.43 | 1/0 |
| Stuart Broad (ENG) | 10 | 22 | 4/65 | 6/132 | 28.40 | 3.39 | 50.27 | 0/0 |
| Chris Woakes (ENG) | 6 | 19 | 5/62 | 7/111 | 18.14 | 3.04 | 35.78 | 1/0 |
| Pat Cummins (AUS) | 9 | 18 | 6/91 | 7/168 | 37.72 | 4.27 | 52.88 | 1/0 |
| Josh Hazlewood (AUS) | 7 | 16 | 5/126 | 5/126 | 31.68 | 4.56 | 41.62 | 1/0 |
| Mark Wood (ENG) | 6 | 14 | 5/34 | 7/100 | 20.21 | 3.22 | 37.57 | 1/0 |
| Ollie Robinson (ENG) | 5 | 10 | 3/55 | 5/98 | 28.40 | 2.76 | 61.60 | 0/0 |
| Nathan Lyon (AUS) | 3 | 9 | 4/80 | 8/229 | 29.33 | 4.00 | 44.00 | 0/0 |
| Moeen Ali (ENG) | 7 | 9 | 3/76 | 3/76 | 51.44 | 3.67 | 84.00 | 0/0 |
| Todd Murphy (AUS) | 4 | 7 | 4/110 | 6/132 | 25.85 | 4.72 | 32.85 | 0/0 |
Key insights from the above stats
Mitchell Starc ended the Ashes 2023 as the highest wicket-taker with a tally of 23 wickets at an average of just over 27. He showed his prowess and was possibly one of the few Aussie bowlers to negate England’s Bazball approach.
Stuart Broad, who retired from international cricket post the last Ashes Test, was at his best in the series and bowled his heart out throughout the series. He was England’s leading wicket-taker with 22 wickets and the only front-line pacer apart from Pat Cummins to play all 5 Tests for either team. He also went past the 600-wicket mark in the 2023 Ashes.
Chris Woakes, who didn’t play in the initial games, was instrumental in turning things around for England, taking 19 wickets in 3 games. 7 of those came in the incredible Oval Test, and this earned him the player of the match as well as the series award.
Pat Cummins, the Aussie skipper, and Josh Hazlewood, the new ball bowler for the visitors, took 18 and 16 wickets, respectively.
Quite surprisingly, the legendary James Anderson took only 5 wickets in the 4 games he took part in the Ashes, and his average was also poor, going for over 85 runs per wicket.
Also Read: Top 10: Most Wickets in a Single Ashes Series
Highest Individual Scores in Ashes 2023
| Player | Score | Balls Faced | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zak Crawley (ENG) | 189 | 182 | Australia | Manchester |
| Ben Stokes (ENG) | 155 | 214 | Australia | Lord’s |
| Usman Khawaja (AUS) | 141 | 321 | England | Birmingham |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 118* | 152 | Australia | Birmingham |
| Mitchell Marsh (AUS) | 118 | 118 | England | Leeds |
| Marnus Labuschagne (AUS) | 111 | 173 | England | Manchester |
| Steve Smith (AUS) | 110 | 184 | England | Lord’s |
| Jonny Bairstow (ENG) | 99* | 81 | Australia | Manchester |
| Ben Duckett (ENG) | 98 | 134 | Australia | The Oval |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 91 | 106 | Australia | The Oval |
Key insights from the above stats
Zak Crawley’s stunning 189 at Manchester in the fourth Test played a key role in England amassing 592 in the first innings, and this almost got England the win but for the rain that forced a draw.
Ben Stokes 155 at Lord’s is one of the left-handers best in the format, but unfortunately, it came in a losing cause as England suffered a close 43-run defeat.
Usman Khawaja scored a special first Test century in England in the opening game at Birmingham, and it overshadowed Joe Root’s 118* in the same game. Australia eventually won the game by 2 wickets.
Mitchell Marsh scored a run-a-ball century (118) in his comeback match at Headingley in the third Test, but it was not enough for Australia to win.
Also Read: Top 10: Most Centuries in Ashes History
Best Bowling Figures in Ashes 2023
| Player | BB/Innings | Economy | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Cummins (AUS) | 6/91 | 5.05 | England | Leeds |
| Mark Wood (ENG) | 5/34 | 2.91 | Australia | Leeds |
| Chris Woakes (ENG) | 5/62 | 2.77 | Australia | Manchester |
| Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 5/78 | 4.87 | England | Leeds |
| Josh Hazlewood (AUS) | 5/126 | 4.66 | England | Manchester |
| Chris Woakes (ENG) | 4/50 | 2.63 | Australia | The Oval |
| Pat Cummins (AUS) | 4/63 | 3.43 | England | Birmingham |
| Stuart Broad (ENG) | 4/65 | 2.61 | Australia | Lord’s |
| Nathan Lyon (AUS) | 4/80 | 3.33 | England | Birmingham |
| Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 4/82 | 5.59 | England | The Oval |
Key insights from the above stats
Pat Cummins had a great all-round game in the first Test, and his efforts of 6/91 remained the best figures for a bowler in this Ashes. Though he didn’t take many wickets post that, Cummins’ was at his best in this Test with the ball.
Mark Wood’s sensational 5/34 in the first morning of Leeds’ Test restricted Australia to only 263 on their first innings and proved to be highly advantageous for the home team to secure a win.
Only 5 five-wicket hauls were taken in the Ashes, and like the number of hundreds, this list also remained undisturbed for most part of the series.
Also Read: The Ashes: Ranking the Ten Greatest Bowling Spells in the Series History
Other important stats from Ashes 2023/24
Zak Crawley scored these runs at a strike rate of 88.72, and he had the best strike rate for batters above 200 runs in this Ashes. On the other hand, Usman Khawaja batted with a strike rate of just about 39.27 for his 496 runs.
Only 7 centuries were hit in the 2023 Ashes, and no player scored more than 1 hundred in this mouth-watering 5-match Test series. Jonny Bairstow (99*) and Ben Duckett (98) just about missed the century by 1 and 2 runs, respectively.
Harry Brook has the most number of fifties in this Ashes, but he didn’t convert any of them into a century. He had scored 363 runs at 40.33 apiece, with 4 half-centuries and a score of 85 being his best.
Moeen Ali was the best all-rounder of the Ashes, picking 8 wickets in the 4 games he played, including a crucial 3 wicket haul on the last day of The Oval Test to go with the 180 runs he scored.
Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad both played their last Tests at the Oval.
A Small Trivia:
Stuart Broad, who played his last of 167 Tests at the Oval in the series finale, took a wicket off the final ball of his Test career as well as smashed a six off his last ball in Tests.
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