5 best win celebrations in Ashes history ft. Edgbaston 2005 & 1997
Australia came up with a memorable batting effort on Day 5 of the opening Ashes 2023 Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Tuesday (June 20) to win the contest by two wickets. Set to chase 281, Australia were in trouble at 227-8 as Joe Root dismissed Alex Carey (20) caught and bowled.
Australian captain Pat Cummins (44* off 73), though, played a captain’s knock to lift the visitors to a thrilling win. Cummins added an unbroken 55 runs for the ninth wicket with Nathan Lyon, who chipped in with 16*. In a game where the momentum shifted numerous times, it was Australia who eventually emerged triumphant.
Fittingly, the Australian captain hit the winning runs by dabbing Ollie Robinson to the third man boundary. The celebrations that followed showed how much the win meant to Australia. Cummins threw his bat and helmet and went on a celebratory run.
The Aussie captain also lifted Lyon in what should go down as one of the most passionate celebrations in Ashes history. On that note, let’s look at the five best celebrations in England-Australia Tests.
#5 Edgbaston (1997)
In the 1990s, Australia dominated England in the Ashes, with the latter very rarely putting up a fight.
Hence, when the Englishmen hammered the Aussies by nine wickets in the first Test of the 1997 Ashes at Edgbaston, it was a rare moment to celebrate for the hosts. Alec Stewart with his arms aloft as Shane Warne and Ian Healy pondered on a loss was not a sight often witnessed.
Bowling first, England had knocked over Australia for 118, with Andy Caddick claiming 5-50. Nasser Hussain (207) and Graham Thorpe (138) led England’s response of 478-9 declared. Mark Taylor (129) and Greg Blewett (125) played excellent knocks as Australia posted 477 in their second innings.
England, though, chased down the target of 118, losing only one wicket. Mike Atherton (57*) and Stewart (40*) featuring in an unbroken 90-run stand for the second wicket.
#4 Sydney (2014)
Australia blanked England 5-0 in the 2013-14 Ashes at home. After crushing England in the first four games, the hosts thumped the Englishmen by 281 runs in Sydney to complete a memorable whitewash.
Batting first, the Aussies posted a competitive 326 as Steven Smith hit 115. Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle then claimed three wickets apiece as England were bundled out for 155. Australia responded with 276 in their second innings, with Chris Rogers scoring 119.
Set an improbable target of 448 for victory, England folded up for 166. Harris ran through the feeble batting line-up, registering figures of 5-25. His celebratory sprint after having Boyd Rankin (0) caught at second slip was symbolic of Australia’s dominance in the 2013-14 Ashes.
#3 Sydney (2006-07)
Having conceded the Ashes for the first since since 1986-87 during the iconic 2005 series, Australia had a point to prove when they hosted England in the 2006-07 series. They made an emphatic statement, crushing their rivals 5-0.
After losing the first four Tests, England would have been keen to avoid a whitewash. They batted first and posted a decent 291 at the SCG. However, Australia scored 393 to take a significant lead. England then crumbled to 147 in the second innings as Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath picked up three scalps apiece.
Australia needed only 46 runs to complete a famous Ashes whitewash, and openers Justin Langer (20*) and Matthew Hayden (23*) ensured a ten-wicket win for the hosts. As they reached the target, both Aussie openers celebrated by raising their arms in a picture-perfect moment.
#2 Edgbaston (2005)
The 2005 Ashes Test in Edgbaston is often referred to as one of the greatest Test matches ever as both sides fought tooth and nail till the end. Batting first, England posted 407, and Australia responded with 308.
Shane Warne (6-46) then worked his magic to spin out England for 182 in their second innings. Australia still needed a tricky 282 to win the contest. Their openers added 47, but captain Ricky Ponting perished for a duck to Andrew Flintoff.
Australia kept losing wickets at regular intervals and slipped to 175-8. There was, however, a twist in the tale as Warne (42) and Lee (43*) added 45 for the ninth wicket.
Warne, however, was hit wicket off Flintoff to put England in command again. The last wicket pair of Lee and Michael Kasprowicz (20), though, batted admirably to take the Aussies to the cusp of a famous win.
With three runs needed, though, Kasprowicz failed to get out of the way of a short ball from Steve Harmison and was caught behind.
England won the pulsating Ashes contest by two runs, and the passionate celebrations that followed were proof enough of what the result meant to the hosts.
#1 Headingley (2019 Ashes)
The image of Ben Stokes letting out a roar with both his arms outstretched is symbolic of the new England - fearless and willing to go beyond the conventional.
It's no co-incidence that the all-rounder has been at the forefront of England’s Test renaissance as leader after Joe Root rightly gave up the post following a series of disastrous results.
The England that we see today was born at Headingley during the 2019 Ashes encounter. Bowled out for an embarrassing 67 in their first innings in response to Australia’s 179, England found a way to eke out a miraculous one-wicket win.
Set to chase 359, they were seemed down and out at 286-9. However, Stokes (135*) played one of the great Ashes knocks with commendable support from last-man Jack Leach (1* off 17).
The left-hander rode his luck to seal the famous triumph in emphatic fashion, flaying Cummins through the covers, and the rest is history.