Stats: The Ashes
The origin of the name 'The Ashes' for the England-Australia rivalry can be traced back to the 1882 Australia tour of England. The hosts England had lost the low scoring one-off Test match in the tour, prompting the British press to publish the following mock obituaries.
Sacred to the memory of England's supremacy in the cricket-field which expired on the 29th day of August, at the oval: "Its end was Peate". - from Cricket: A Weekly Record of The Game
In Affectionate Remembrance of ENGLISH CRICKET, which died at the Oval on 29 August 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances. R.I.P. The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. - from The Sporting Times
In the following 1882-83 tour of Australia, then England captain Ivo Bligh promised to recover those Ashes - thus giving a name to one of the most famous rivalries in cricket.
Since then, a total of 70 Ashes series have been played, with Australia leading England by a slim margin of 33-32. Five of the them ended in a draw. In terms of number of matches played, Australia lead England 134 - 106 head to head.
On that note, let's take a look at some of the key stats from The Ashes.
Batting Performances:
907/7 declared by England in 1938 is the highest innings total by a team in The Ashes.
36 all out by Australia in 1902 is the lowest innings total by a team in The Ashes.
5028 runs scored by Sir Don Bradman of Australia is the most number of runs scored by a player in The Ashes.
364 scored by Sir Leonard Hutton of England in 1938 is the highest individual score by a player in The Ashes.
540 centuries have been scored in the Ashes.
19 centuries scored by Sir Don Bradman is the most number of centuries scored by a player in The Ashes.
19 half-centuries scored by Allan Border of Australia is the most number of half-centuries scored by a player in The Ashes.
974 runs scored by Sir Don Bradman in the 1938 Ashes is the most number of runs scored by a player in a single series of The Ashes.
Bowling Performances:
195 wickets taken by Shane Warne of Australia is the most number of wickets taken by a player in The Ashes.
10/53 by Jim Laker of England in 1956 is the best bowling performance by a player in an innings in The Ashes.
19 wickets taken by Jim Laker in 1956 is the most number of wickets taken by a player in a single match in The Ashes.
522 five-wicket hauls have been taken in The Ashes.
12 five-wicket hauls taken by Sydney Barnes of England is the most number of five-wicket hauls taken by a player in the Ashes.
77 ten-wicket hauls in a match have been taken in The Ashes.
4 ten-wicket hauls taken by Shane Warne of Australia and Tom Richardson of England each are the most number of ten-wicket hauls taken by a player in a match in The Ashes.
46 wickets taken by Jim Laker in 1956 is the most number of wickets taken by a player in a single series of The Ashes.
Wicket-keeping Performances:
135 dismissals by Ian Healy of Australia is the most number of dismissals by a wicket-keeper in The Ashes.
6 dismissals by Rod Marsh (Aus, 1982),Jack Russell (Eng, 1990), Ian Healy (Aus, 1997), Alec Stewart (Eng, 1997), Chris Read (Eng, 2006 and 2007) and Matt Prior (Eng, 2010) is the most number of dismissals by a wicket-keeper in an innings in The Ashes.
9 dismissals by Gil Langley (Aus, 1956), Rod Marsh (Aus, 1982), Ian Healy (Aus, 1994) and Adam Gilchrist (Aus, 2007) is the most number of dismissals by a wicket-keeper in a single match in The Ashes.
29 dismissals by Brad Haddin of Australia in the 2013 Ashes is the most number of dismissals by a wicket-keeper in a single series of The Ashes.
Fielding Performances:
54 catches by Ian Botham of England is the most number of catches taken by a player in The Ashes.
7 catches taken by Greg Chappell of Australia in 1974 is the most number of catches taken by a player in a match in The Ashes.
15 catches taken by Jack Gregory of Australia in 1920-21 Ashes is the most number of catches taken by a player in a single series of the Ashes.
Also read – Ashes Teams & Squads
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