Published: Aug 24, 2015, 12:22 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 24, 2015, 03:38 AM (IST)
Despite Australia’s stern resistance, England won the Ashes series held in the UK in the summer of 2013. After a nail-biting first Test that was won by the home side by 15 runs, England thrashed Australia by an innings at Lord’s. At the time, it looked as if the gulf between the teams may really be that huge. But in the next Test in Manchester, Australia dominated, and had their opponents in trouble at 37 for 3 in their chase of 332, but rain thwarted their march. In the fourth Test at Durham, Australia were done in by a match-winning spell of six wickets from Stuart Broad. The drawn final Test at The Oval turned out to be a farce, as England were set an overly generous total to chase for Australia to have any chance of a result. England came close to taking match, but in the dying moments, with only a few runs to get, the umpires ruled that light was insufficient for play to carry on. READ: How England won the Ashes 2015
Australia had arrived to the series after a horrid season of a poor tour of India, and a lacklustre Champions Trophy. In India, they made headlines due to th ‘homework scandal’ which had four of their players omitted from a Test as they had not submitted their homework. In England, during the global 50-over event, David Warner punched England’s Joe Root in a bar, for which he was duly punished. READ: Ashes 2015 winning captain Alastair Cook excited with England’s future
Australia backed the hard-fought loss in England with a 5-0 series whitewash in Australia. Mitchell Johnson, who had not bowled in England, arrived back in the team with renewed vigour. He took 37 wickets in the five Test, but also hurt them psychologically.
