Published: Jul 21, 2015, 12:32 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 23, 2015, 11:16 AM (IST)
Australia bounced back heavily on the English after losing the first test by 169 runs. The series was levelled with an emphatic victory. Bharath Seervi lists all Ashes series in which Australia did something similar. Australians were quite comfortably outplayed by England in the first Test of Ashes 2015 at Cardiff, losing by a margin of 169 runs. It was important for them to bounce back to retain their urn which they got from England by defeating them 5-0 in Ashes 2013-14 Ashes. When they did bounce back at Lord’s it was too heavy for England to handle it. The 405-run margin tells the story. The body language of a rampant Mitchell Johnson on Day Four tells the rest.
Hopes of England increasing their lead to 2-0 were thrashed on the very first day at Lord’s Test as Australians ended the day on 337 for 1 with Chris Rogers on 158 and Steven Smith on 129. It was evident that Australia would post a huge first innings unless the bowlers did something extraordinary. Though nobody else reached fifty, Australia managed to declare at 566 for 8. English were dismissed for 312 handing a lead of 254. Australia batted on, adding 254 at 5.18 an over and set a target of 509. ALSO READ: England top-order a concern; Must rectify in time for 3rd Test at Edgbaston
England had to bat more than 150 overs to draw the match or chase down the target, but they collapsed giving no trouble to the bowlers and scorers. Only Stuart Broad crossed 20 as they were all out for 103 runs in just 37 overs. Australia won the match by 405 runs. It was only the ninth occasion that a side won a Test by a margin of 400 or more. READ: Ashes 2015: Alastair Cook wants England’s top order to fire following rout in 2nd Test
Not many expected Australia to win the second test by 405 runs after having lost the first test by 169 runs. It is the first time in the last 30 years that Australia levelled the series by winning the second Test after losing the first in an Ashes contest. The last time they did it was in 1985; then, too, Lord’s hosted the second Test. Overall this is the ninth time Australia has done it in Ashes and only thrice after World War II. The table below lists those 9 instances.
Australia winning the 2nd test after losing the 1st in an Ashes series
| Ashes | Test # | Winner | Margin | Venue | Series Result |
| 1896 | 1 | England | 6 wickets | Lord’s | England 2-1 (3) |
| 2 | Australia | 3 wickets | Old Trafford | ||
| 1897-98 | 1 | England | 9 wickets | SCG | Australia 4-1 (5) |
| 2 | Australia | Innings & 55 runs | MCG | ||
| 1901-02 | 1 | England | Innings & 124 runs | SCG | Australia 4-1 (5) |
| 2 | Australia | 229 runs | MCG | ||
| 1909 | 1 | England | 10 wickets | Edgbaston | Australia 2-1 (5) |
| 2 | Australia | 9 wickets | Lord’s | ||
| 1930 | 1 | England | 93 runs | Trent Bridge | Australia 2-1 (5) |
| 2 | Australia | 7 wickets | Lord’s | ||
| 1932-33 | 1 | England | 10 wickets | SCG | England 4-1 (5) |
| 2 | Australia | 111 runs | MCG | ||
| 1972 | 1 | England | 89 runs | Old Trafford | Drawn 2-2 (5) |
| 2 | Australia | 8 wickets | Lord’s | ||
| 1985 | 1 | England | 5 wickets | Headingley | England 3-1 (6) |
| 2 | Australia | 4 wickets | Lord’s | ||
| 2015 | 1 | England | 169 runs | Cardiff | – |
| 2 | Australia | 405 runs | Lord’s |
– It is only the third time since World War II that Australia have come back to win the second Test after losing the first.
– Australia did not win The Ashes on the previous three occasions: they lost two and drew one.
– Of the nine occasions, six were in England. Lord’s stadium is involved in all six.
– Winning by 405 runs is the highest margin of victory in terms of runs in the second Test after losing the first Ashes Test for both sides.
While Australia have done this 9 times, England have done it 7 times, and twice since World War II. They did it in 2005 Ashes by winning the second test by 2 runs at Edgbaston after losing the first at Lord’s by 239 runs. And prior to that it was in 1954-55, when England won the second Test at SCG by 38 runs after a huge defeat of Innings and 254 runs at The Gabba in the first. Interestingly, England won both series — 2-1 in 2005 and 3-1 in 1954-55. READ: Ashes 2015: Trevord Bayliss admits England had their ‘backsides smacked’ at Lord’s
The first occasion of a team levelling the series in the second Test after losing the first happened in the very first Ashes series of 1882-83. Australia had won the first Test by nine wickets; England won the second test by an innings and 27 runs. Both Tests were played at the MCG. England went on to win that first Ashes series 2-1 after trailing 0-1. England went on to win the next seven consecutive Ashes series and ended their streak in 1891-92.
(Bharath Seervi is a cricket statistician who is obsessed with digging numbers, facts and records related to the game. An active member of Society of Cricket Statisticians of India, he blogs at www.cricketseervistats.blogspot.com. He can be followed on Twitter at @SeerviBharath and on Facebook here)
