5 unforgettable moments in the Ashes 2019 series

Australia retained the Ashes urn, while England managed to draw the series 2-2.

The Ashes 2019 came to a fitting end with the series being drawn 2-2 as England won the fifth and final Test at The Oval by 135 runs. However, Australia retained the urn by winning the fourth Test at Manchester.

The series was filled with amazing moments which saw Steve Smith and Ben Stokes receiving Man of the Series awards for their amazing contributions to their respective sides. The series saw both the teams play out of their skins and situations tested the mettle of both captains in Joe Root and Tim Paine. Paine became the first Australian captain since Steve Waugh in 2001 to retain the Ashes urn in England, but Australia still hasn’t won a Test series in England since 2001.

The whole series was a highlight reel start from day one of the first Test to the last day of the fifth Test and Team COC brings to you the 5 amazing and absolutely magical moments from the Ashes 2019.

Here are the top 5 unforgettable moments in the 2019 England vs Australia series

Stuart Broad makes David Warner his bunny

David Warner was coming back to Test cricket along with Steve Smith after their bans for ball-tampering ended. It was supposed to be a big comeback for both the batsmen and Smith made the most of his time in whites against England, but for Warner, it turned out to be a nightmare.

He just couldn’t get past Stuart Broad, as the lanky England pacer got him out 7 times in 10 innings. Warner could conjure up just one fifty in the whole series and was out for a duck three consecutive times. His ninety-five runs in 10 Test innings are the lowest ever return for an opener playing a five-Test series. He scored a pair at Old Trafford and each time he was dismissed, he was booed heartily off the ground, the crowd happily rising to their feet to wave off the villain of the piece.

Cummins removes Root and Burns to jolt England at Manchester

Pat Cummins picked up 29 wickets in five-Test series and was the only Australian bowler to play all the Tests. He also broke a 42-year-old record of taking most wickets in one Ashes series without picking a five-wicket haul. He was always running in fast and looked dangerous each time he had the red cherry in his hands.

Cummins’ best moment in the series came to the fourth Test match at Old Trafford in Manchester. Tim Paine-led Australia had put up a huge 383-run target for England thanks to Steve Smith’s 82. They needed to land a telling blow in the first over itself to keep England from winning the match and probably the series as well.

Cummins removed Rory Burns on the second ball of the first over and then bowled a jaffa of a delivery to skipper Joe Root which pitched on middle and off and then hit the top of the off-stump, leaving England 0/2 in the first over itself and match was sealed for Australia.  

Here is the video of that awesome delivery by Cummins:

Labuschagne steps in as a sub after Archer neutralizes Smith

Jofra Archer had made a huge name for himself during the ICC World Cup 2019 and much was expected of him in the Ashes as well and he didn’t disappoint. In the second Test match at Lord’s ground saw Archer trouble the best batsman of modern times with his pace and short deliveries.

Though Smith tried his best to keep the dangerous deliveries at bay, Archer finally got him with a short ball that didn’t bounce and hit Smith on the back of his neck. Though Smith came back to bat after medical assessment, he was deemed unfit to continue in the second innings.

Marnus Labuschagne came in as his substitute in the second innings, thanks to the new concussion sub-rule and scored a brilliant fifty to help Australia draw the Test match. It was a huge achievement for Labuschagne because had England won the Lord's Test, they might have won the series as well. As Smith was ruled out of the third Test at Leeds, Labuschagne made 74 and 80 in the two innings, which helped Australia set a target of 359 for England.

Ben Stokes’ magic at Leeds helps England chase down 359

England was staring at a big defeat during their chase of 359 runs at the Leeds ground in Headingley. Marnus Labuschagne’s twin half-centuries helped Australia big-time in absence of Steve Smith and it was upto the England batsmen to do the needful. However, the openers both fell for single-digit scores. Joe Root made 77 and Joe Denly made 50, to stabilize the ship, but at 286/9, all seemed to be lost.

Ben Stokes, the magic man for England then rose to the occasion and threw caution and his bat to the wind, as he went on a mad hitting spree at the Australian bowlers in order to take England closer to the target with a spectacled Jack Leach for company. Stokes crunched 8 sixes, an Ashes record and 11 fours in his 135*, taking England to a magical win by one wicket and drawing the Ashes series 2-2.

Steve Smith emotional tons on comeback; has a series of life

Steve Smith made his comeback to Test cricket after serving a one-year ban for ball-tampering, which will be a black mark that will remain on his record forever. He was hungry for runs and had shown a glimpse during the World Cup 2019. This was the biggest battle that Australia and England fight every two years and Smith wanted to be the man to help his team win a series in England since 2001.

And he did it in style, in the first Test at Edgbaston when he scored 144 and 142 in the two innings and stamped his authority on the series, which will be remembered as Smith’s Ashes for ages to come. Emotions flowed out of Smith as he savored each of his twin tons and showed that he was back to being the best. He made 92 in the one innings he played in the second Test Lord’s and missed the third Test due to concussion effects.

He came back in the Headingley Test and scored a brilliant 211, his third double ton in Tests and added another 82 runs in the second innings, to help Australia win the Test and retain the Ashes in England. In the process, he regained his no.1 batting ranking in Tests, dethroning Virat Kohli.

He continued his good form with 80 in the first innings of the Manchester Test but failed to pass fifty in the second innings. But he ended the series with a record 774 runs in four Tests at an average of 110.57 with 3 centuries and 3 half-centuries with a highest score of 211 and was named the Player of the Series from Australia side.