Ashes 2013: Top five batsmen in the series

The recently concluded Investec Ashes 2013 had all the trappings of a nineties Bollywood potboiler – plenty of action and drama. At the end of it, England retained the urn with a 3-0 victory over Australia, with two matches ending in draws.

There were some fine performances with the bat – primarily from the English, but a few of the Aussies also did reasonably well.

Here are the top five batsmen who made their presence felt in the Ashes:

5. Chris Rogers (Australia – 367 runs)

Chris Rogers of Australia bats during day four of 4th Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at Emirates Durham ICG on August 12, 2013 in Chester-le-Street, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Australian coach Darren Lehmann shocked many when he announced that the 36-year-old Middlesex captain would partner all-rounder Shane Watson at the top of the order. Many felt that this was a poor decision, given that Rogers had been out of the side for five years and did not have too much cricket left in him anyway.

The left-hander proved them wrong when he scored his maiden Test half-century in the second innings of the first Test at Trent Bridge. Following a slight slump when he totalled only 21 runs in his next outing, and a growing vulnerability to off-spinner Graeme Swann, Rogers made 84 in the first innings of the third Test at Manchester, and followed it up with a sublime first Test hundred in the next game at Durham.

With a total of 367 runs scored in five Ashes games, Chris Rogers has done enough to stay in the team for at least another couple of seasons.