3 most defining moments of Ashes 2023 ft. Jonny Bairstow

A hard-fought Ashes 2023 series culminated with England leveling the rubber 2-2, courtesy of a 49-run victory in the final Test at The Oval, London. While the series was drawn, Australia have retained the urn by virtue of having entered the series as the holders.

Australia were primed to win their first Ashes series on English soil since 2001 when they took a 2-0 lead at the end of the first two Tests. But England stormed back in style to win the third and fifth Tests, while the fourth contest at Old Trafford was affected by rain, resulting in a draw.

Very few series have been as nerve-wracking and tantalizing from start to finish as Ashes 2023 was. There was quality with the bat and ball, drama and controversy, and a number of headline spinners.

What. A. Series! 🔥🤩

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Few would argue that a 2-2 result was a just reflection of how the two sides fought tooth and nail and gave it absolutely everything. Plenty of moments will continue to be spoken about for a long time but there were some in particular that stood out.

Here's a look into the three most defining moments of Ashes 2023:

#1 England's brave declaration on Day 1 at Edgbaston

INNINGS BREAK! 🏏

England have declared at 393/8. Australia have 20 minutes to play on Day 1.

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Zak Crawley creaming the first ball of Ashes 2023 to the cover fence was a sign of England sticking by their Bazball approach. That's how they went about their work on a flat pitch at Edgbaston but to everyone's surprise, they pulled the shutters down on their innings with the score reading 393/8 on the opening day.

They had a crack at the Australian openers for four overs but on a pitch that was expected to wear out and with Joe Root batting on 118, one feared that England left a few more runs out on the park. More so, with Ollie Robinson looking very comfortable with the bat himself.

Hindsight is a beautiful thing but as it turned out, the pitch started playing its tricks with a lot of uneven bounce becoming the norm. With Robinson and James Anderson returning from injury and Moeen Ali bowling with a blistered finger, England clearly missed the opportunity to turn 393 to a possible 450.

It might have just pushed Australia into a position where they might have had second thoughts about going for their target of 281 in the fourth innings.

Pat Cummins held his nerve admirably to get his side home but had England been wise enough to add more first-innings runs, they might have well been the ones with a 1-0 lead and the Ashes might have taken a different turn altogether.

#2 Jonny Bairstow's stumping at Lord's

Jonny Bairstow falls victim to an unusual and unlucky dismissal, courtesy of Alex Carey's exceptional presence of mind behind the stumps. 🔥

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A moment that in many ways defined Ashes 2023. When Jonny Bairstow casually strolled out of his crease before the umpires called the end of the over, Alex Carey was sharp to fire the ball into the stumps and catch him short.

It led to plenty of drama with fans in the stands booing the Australians consistently. Of course, the discourse around the spirit of cricket was ignited again while some members of the Long Room at Lord's were also suspended after a verbal altercation with the visiting team.

What it also did was ignite the beast in Ben Stokes who flicked a switch and gave the Australians a scare and a half. England needed 177 more runs to win when Bairstow was dismissed and Stokes unleashed a barrage of sixes en route to a partnership of 108 for the seventh wicket with Stuart Broad.

Stokes couldn't get his team past the finish line as Australia prevailed by 43 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the series. But the Bairstow dismissal was massive in many ways.

Had he not left his ground, England would have stood a better chance at scaling the target and leveling the series. But because of what transpired, it's fair to say that it only motivated the hosts even further as they bounced back in the next three Tests.

#3 Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith gifting their wickets at Headingley

England win! 🎉🏆

In a thrilling Ashes contest, England defeat Australia in a must-win game! 🙌🏻🔥

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England roared back in style in the third Test at Headingley with Mark Wood and Chris Woakes bolstering their attack with the bite and freshness that they were after. Australia still took a first innings lead of 26 before finding themselves in a solid position on Day 2.

The pitch was quicker than the ones at Lord's and Edgbaston and given the amount of time left in the game, it wasn't going to deteriorate all that easy. Australia clearly had to bat England out of the game but were guilty of some very tame dismissals, especially from Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith.

Both fell to Moeen Ali with Labuschagne not going through with his slog sweep and picking out deep mid-wicket and Smith just flicking one to short mid-wicket. If not for Travis Head's rearguard action with the tail, even the 250-run lead that the visitors ended up with would have been distant.

England took the game by three wickets in what was a tricky chase. But had Labuschagne and Smith made greater contributions with the bat, Australia would have had a lot more to work with, boosting their chances of sealing the series in the process.

Which of these moments do you think was the most defining one of Ashes 2023? Have your say in the comments section below!

Also read: England's playing XI from Stuart Broad's Test debut - where are they now?