Ashes 2019: 5 players who shone the brightest in the series
The 2019 Ashes featured 5 Test matches, with both Australia and England winning two matches each and one ending in a draw. The tournament’s dead even 2-2 result shows the competitiveness of both sides.
There was quality all across the board in both squads. David Warner and Steve Smith, who were serving a one-year ban for their involvement in the sandpaper incident, returned to Test cricket in this series. For the English Jofra Archer made his Test debut after an impressive World Cup outing, and contributed immensely.
A historic tournament like the Ashes never fails to excite the players. Almost everyone looked eager to contribute whatever was necessary for their respective teams, but some were more successful in that than others.
Here, we look at five players who were fortunate enough to bring out their best in the series.
#5 Stuart Broad
MATCHES - 5; WICKETS - 23; AVERAGE - 26.65
Stuart Broad was lethal against Australia’s left-handed batsmen. David Warner in particular struggled big time against the veteran fast bowler and was dismissed seven times by him.
A bowler has dismissed a particular player seven times in a single series on just five other occasions. The last time such an instance took place was in the previous Ashes, where Aussie spinner Nathan Lyon did the same to Moeen Ali.
Targeting a particular top-level batsman and exploiting his weakness shows the tactical brilliance of Broad. In the absence of long-term bowling partner James Anderson, Broad stepped up and made things even.
Broad's best performance in this series came in the first innings of the first match where he took a 5-wicket haul.
He took 23 wickets overall and was the leading wicket-taker for England at the end of the series. Broad also finished the series as the second-highest wicket-taker from both sides.
Things look optimistic for Broad right now, and his performances have given some rest to the retirement rumors.