Xavier Babbage |
The Ashes series between England and Australia is one of the most storied rivalries in all of sport. However, playing the Baggy Greens at home has always been a challenge for tourists in recent years. This is because the competitive Australian environment and noisy home supporters created an intimidating atmosphere. And to see just how badly the UK is struggling, you only have to look at the Land Down Under’s recent tour.
The tourists have been soundly defeated in the last three Ashes series on Australian soil and have done so by an aggregate score of 13-0. It’s been 13 years since they won a Test match over enemy territory and the Australian team has been at the Urn since 2018. This winter, the two sides will clash once more and bookies predict it will be much closer. Competition is more intense than in previous years.
recent online sports betting The odds make the hosts favorites at -165 and the visitors underdogs at +250. But they will have to improve endlessly to avoid being embarrassed once again. These are the last three times England have avoided defeat in the Land Down Under. Let’s hope it provides plenty of optimism for Ben Stokes and Co. ahead of a mouth-watering clash later this year.
2021–22 4th exam
The 2021-22 Ashes series was a tough trial for England as they faced a dominant Australian team. The hosts kept the urn at a canter, winning the first three Test matches in dominant fashion. lost by 9 wickets The first clash at the Gabba saw them score 275 runs in the second clash in Adelaide and an innings at the MCG. They were unable to score more than 300 points in any competition and headed to Sydney ready for another challenge.
Australia declared their first innings at 416/8, led by Usman Khawaja’s brilliant 137. The tourists responded with a feeble-looking 294, with Jonny Bairstow’s springy century the only saving grace amid a flurry of wickets. But the weather helped England, with rain on the first day leaving them with far fewer overs to survive. The hosts plundered a further 265 in their second innings with Khawaja bagging another century before declaring.
England knew they had to survive until the final day to avoid another defeat. Zak Crawley set the tone with a solid 77, but a collapse followed. In the middle order, heroics from Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow anchored the innings and provided solid fielding, but both were dismissed with plenty of time remaining. In the end, it was Jack Leach and Stuart Broad who held firm. England held on for a hard-fought draw, finishing on 270/9 and salvaging their pride in an otherwise terrible series.
2017-18 4th exam
Four years ago, Britain was in the same position. They had already surrendered the Urn with a whimper, having lost the first three Tests and aiming to avoid a second successive whitewash. Luckily it came in the fourth Test at the MCG where the tourists finally showed some mettle.
Australia posted a massive 327, helped by David Warner’s 103. In response, England were finally all out for 491, with captain Alastair Cook hitting an unbeaten 244 in an innings marked by his typical patience. And beautiful stroke play on a difficult pitch. In their second innings, Australia managed a declaration of 263/4, setting England just 99 runs to win, but did not have time to score the runs they needed.
Rain put an end to the match at 3pm on the fourth day and showed no regrets on the fifth day, with the match ending in a draw. This contest could have been won by England, but they ultimately had to settle for a draw and failed to finish the series. Another 5-0 loss.
2010-11 5th exam
You have to go back to January 2011 to win England’s last Test match in Australia. The shoe was clearly on the other foot at the time and the tourists headed to the SCG with a 2-1 lead and real hopes of claiming the urn on Australian soil for the first time in 24 years. And ultimately, that dream became reality, and it did so in a dominant way.
The Aussies batted first but were all out for 280, with fast bowler Mitchell Johnson left red-faced with a bottom-order score of 53. The British then took control and were in powerful shape. Opener Alistair Cook continued his phenomenal performance with 189, taking the series total to 766, the fourth highest ever. He was supported by Ian Bell and Matt Prior, who struck 115 and 118 respectively en route to an impressive 644 for the visitors.
England’s bowlers then took over and dismantled the hosts in the second innings. They ended up scoring 281, with Chris Tremlett and Graham Swann being the top torturers, helping their side win by an innings and 83 runs. Can a new variety repeat the feat this winter?
