Mitchell Johnson of Australia celebrates after taking the wicket of Alastair Cook. (© Getty Images)
After the conclusion of the World Test Championship (WTC) final, Australia and England will lock horns with each other to clinch the Ashes urn in the English summer of 2023. Currently, Australia are the holder of the Ashes but in the upcoming competition, the visitors will strive to retain the urn. On the other side, England’s endeavours will be to quench their thirst for winning the series after eight years.
In the incredible Test competition to be played for one and a half months, bowlers of both teams will play a crucial role. On the grassy and fast pitches of England, pacers won’t miss a chance to take advantage of the conditions. While spinners will look to prove their skills on English surfaces that are the best known for spinners. However, in the past, bowlers have produced some solid performances in the Ashes, irrespective of the conditions. Going through 141 years of the Ashes, one can find some unprecedented bowling spells.
Talking more about a few of them, here are the five best bowling spells in the Ashes
5. Mitchell Johnson’s 7/40 at the Adelaide Oval in the 2013-14 Ashes
Mitchell Johnson Bowling. (Photo Source : Gettyimages)
After dominating the Alastair Cook-led England at the Gabba in the first Test of the Ashes 2013-14, emboldened Mitchell Johnson assaulted England in the second match at the Adelaide Oval. In Australia’s enormous 218-run victory, Johnson picked up eight wickets and became the Player of the Match.
Riding on captain Michael Clarke’s 148 and Brad Haddin’s 118, the Aussies put up 570/9 on the board in the first innings after winning the toss. Leading Australia’s bowling attack from the front, Johnson tormented England with his ferocious pace bowling. In his second over of the match, Johnson removed the former England skipper, Alastair Cook.
Later on in the game, he also took the important wickets of Ben Stokes and Matt Prior to break the back of England’s batting line-up. The speedster concluded his spell with 7/40 figures and riding on his bowling efforts, Australia took the lead of 398 runs in the first innings. Taking his confidence ahead, Johnson contributed one wicket in the second innings to help his side fold the visitors on 312 and win the game comfortably.
4. Jason Gillespie’s 7/37 at Headingley in the 1997 Ashes
Jason Gillespie. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)
During Australia’s tour of England in 1997, the Ashes series got interesting as both teams had won one game each after three Tests. In the fourth contest at Headingley, Leeds, Australia captain Mark Taylor won the toss and elected to field first. Confronting the quality bowling attack of Australia, England’s batting line-up collapsed as Jason Gillespie wreaked havoc on the hosts with his disciplined bowling.
In the first innings, Gillespie hunted seven batters and wrapped up England’s innings on a mere 172 on Day 1. During his aggressive spell, the pacer came heavily on England and took crucial wickets of Alec Stewart, Dean Headley, Graham Thorpe, and John Crawley. After sending the key batters back to the pavilion, Gillespie didn’t waste his time and cleaned up England’s lower order.
Gillespie’s bowling display shattered the confidence of Atherton and Co. as they completely lost their confidence and gave away the match to Australia by an innings and 61 runs. At the end of the match, Gillespie also got the Player of the Match award for his sensational bowling performance.
3. Shane Warne’s 8/71 at The Gabba in the 1994-95 Ashes
Shane Warne. (Photo Source: Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Late Shane Warne served the Australian cricket team for 15 years in international cricket. In his vast Test career, the spin wizard played 36 matches in The Ashes tournament and scalped 195 wickets in 72 innings. With these numbers, Warne is still the leading wicket-taker in the illustrious Test series.
Back in 1994, Warne clinched 8/71 figures with the ball against England at the Gabba. His spectacular bowling performance powered the hosts to pummel the visitors by a huge margin of 184 runs. These numbers also became the leggie’s best bowling innings of his Test career.
In the inaugural Test of the 1994-95 Ashes, Australia skipper Mark Taylor won the toss and decided to bat first. Providing strength to their team, both Michael Slater and Mark Waugh helped Australia to rack up 426 runs in the first innings. In the bowling department, Warne came forward along with Craig McDermott and took three wickets in the first innings. Continuing his excellent job in the second innings, Warne wrecked England’s batting line-up in the second innings and claimed eight wickets to help the Aussies emerge victorious.
2. Glenn McGrath’s 8/38 at the Lord’s in the 1997 Ashes
Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting. (Photo Source: Getty Images)
Glenn McGrath was one of the most disciplined bowlers of his time. In the Ashes, he is the second-leading wicket-taker with 157 scalps in 60 innings of 30 matches. The former speedster bagged a lot of Test matches for Australia against the arch-rivals England but one of the special performances came in 1997.
In the second Test at Lord’s in the Ashes 1997, Australia skipper Mark Taylor won the toss and elected to field first. Proving his captain’s call correct, McGrath bowled an unprecedented spell to help his team to be in a commanding position. During his extraordinary spell, McGrath trapped Mark Butcher, Mike Atherton, Alec Stewart, and Naseer Hussain to destroy England’s top order.
Grabbing 8/38 bowling figures, McGrath played a pivotal role in bundling out England for 77.
The contest ended in a stalemate but McGrath grabbed a lot of eyeballs for becoming the Player of the Match for his exceptional bowling display.
1. Stuart Broad’s 8/15 at Trent Bridge in the 2015 Ashes
Stuart Broad. (Photo Source: Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)
Stuart Broad is still active in international cricket and in the upcoming Ashes 2023 series, his role will be essential for England against the Australian team. With his experience and skills, he adds immense strength to England’s pace attack along with the veteran James Anderson. In the 2015 Ashes, Broad took his best bowling innings in Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
Playing the fourth Test, England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and invited Australia to bat first. Spearheading England’s bowling attack from the front, Broad attacked Australia’s batting unit and claimed 8/15 bowling figures. Riding on his scintillating bowling performances, the hosts embarrassed the visitors by folding them on a paltry 60.
The veteran’s remarkable bowling performance hit the confidence of the Aussies as later they failed to contain England batters from taking a big lead. At the end of the game, the English team won the match by an innings and 78 runs and Broad’s fabulous bowling efforts got him the Player of the Match award.