Classic Ashes test matches this century

So after the last lacklustre series and from an English perspective the one before that, I was thinking about great Ashes test matches of this century and where some of the last 10 Ashes test matches would rank alongside them.

2001


The most obvious stand out is the 4th test at Headingly where England were set 315 to win on the last day and Butcher playing the innings of his life to see us home. It was in a dead rubber but he probably saved us the ignominy of a 5-0 home Ashes defeat which is still something that thankfully hasn't yet happened.

I don't remember the third test but it looks quite exciting and the Ashes were still at stake. Seems quite a comfortable victory in the end but after the first 3 innings it might have seemed like a tricky target to negotiate.

2002-3
 

Looks quite an uninteresting series to me. This was the series just before the summer where I really got in to cricket so would be interested to hear if anyone found any of these matches to have been particularly memorable. The 4th test looks like it could have been a bit exciting but no out and out classic matches (happy to be wrong about this, as I say I didn't watch it so any opposing views welcome!).

2005
 
What more can you say about 2005 that hasn't already been said? Not a lot, but it's always fun looking back on it! There wasn't a single test that didn't have something about it.
 
The 1st day of the 1st test got the series off to a cracking start with magnificent bowling from both sides. On the first morning you felt Australia knew they were in for a battle and it was going to be different this time yet by the end of the test it was a comfortable win and felt like same old same old.
 
The 2nd test gets most of the plaudits and rightly so, every day was back and forth with key moments spread throughout the match. It's one of my biggest regrets in life that I opted to travel with friends who were leaving that morning as opposed to staying to watch the end of the match where I was meaning I missed one of (if not the best) moment in England's cricketing history. Still hurts not to have seen it typing this out now but I'm obviously still pleased with the end result and since that moment I've never missed the end of any test match if I can help it.
 
The 3rd test was one of the most exciting draws you are ever likely to see. The last day was 7 odd hours of tense and exciting cricket with Ponting playing one of the best innings of his life to rescue his team and McGrath and Lee managing to survive the last 24 balls where England were one ball away from taking a 2-1 lead. It was strange to see Australia celebrating a draw but it was a hard earned draw.
 
The 4th test was yet another cracker, some incredible bowling from Simon Jones causing Australia to follow on and then a very nervy chase from England to see them home. Really felt as though Warne was going to bowl them to victory, he looked unplayable, and if he had had McGrath at the other end then we wouldn't have made it as there wouldn't have been anyone to score runs off and the wickets would still have been tumbling.
 
And an exciting end to the series in the 5th test, going in to the last day all 3 results were still on the cards and at 5-126 and then 7-199 it looked as though Australia had a chance. Warne of course famously dropped the Ashes for the simplest catch he could ever hope to get and then KP and Giles saw us home. 
 

Remembering all of this now I don't think I appreciated at the time what an astoundingly brilliant series 2005 was, if we ever get a series that is half as good then I'll be happy. If you were writing a story then the 2005 series would almost be too unbelievable, real fairy tale stuff.

2006-7
 
The first ball in Brisbane was indicative of how the series was going to go. Despite the series being incredibly one sided for the most part, 2nd test at Adelaide will still go down as one of the best comebacks, I would imagine it's the closest thing to a Headingly that Australia have although at no point were they in quite as dire straits as England were in '81. 
 

A bonafide classic test match though in amongst a lot of one sided matches.

2009
 
Being the next home series after 2005 I think this was always going to seem like an anti climax but it was one of the better Ashes series of this century.
 
The 1st test was a classic, a backs to the wall miracle innings by Collingwood and Jimmy and Monty memorably hanging on at the end, my heart was in my mouth knowing that every ball could have been the last ball of the match. It's difficult to explain to people who don't like cricket how a draw can be exciting but some of the most exciting test matches I've ever seen have been draws and this one has to be included.
 
No other classic test matches but for the only time this century the Ashes were still live right up until the final ball was bowled at the Oval (2005 was effectively over before England's innings came to an end). It also featured a rare Flintoff 5fer and an England win at Lords. This is my 2nd favourite Ashes series, I know I'm in a minority for thinking that but despite the lack of classic test matches, the result of the series kept it exciting right up until the end.

2010-11
 
Siddle got a hat trick at the Gabba in the first test and it was a great performance from Cook and England to fight back and salvage a draw. Were this any of the previous ten tests I would have expected England to capitulate and lose within 3 days but less than 5 years ago we had a team that could come back from big 1st innings deficits and it was inspiring to watch.
 
Aside from the first test there weren't any competitive matches. A memorable series for England to have won in Australia for the first time in 24 years but not a great series for the neutral or for fans of hard fought battles. Incredible cricket from England across the board though, the best team I've seen from us.

2013
 
The 3-0 scoreline makes it look one sided but apart from one test it was anything but.
 
Classic finish to the first test which featured a rare match winning century from Ian Bell and some vital runs from Broad scored after his infamous edge. Haddin nearly saw Australia home but a familiar scenario for the Aussies of falling just short in a close match. Crazy innings from Agar at number 11 as well.
 
Demolition job at Lords followed and Australia were unlucky that rain saved England from defeat in the 3rd test.
 
The 4th test was another great match, Australia looked to be comfortable in their 4th innings chase but the usual Stuart Broad series winning spell followed and that was that.
 
The 5th test should have gone down as one of the greatest chases in cricketing history but Michael Clarke and the umpires deprived the paying fans of a memorable win. Days like the 5th test at the Oval in 2013 are why test cricket is dying, it was one of the worst things I have seen in test cricket since I've been watching it. I would have said the same thing if Australia were the ones chasing, I always prefer to see a result if possible (despite seeing some exciting draws) and above all I love to see memorable cricket and memorable test matches. This should have gone down as a classic KP led chase but it wasn't to be and cricket was the loser. They really need to change the rule on this, it feels as though the ICC are trying to devalue test cricket.

2013-14
 
Not a single decent test match. One sided drubbings with the result never in doubt after stumps on the second day, usually pretty clear after the first day.

2015
 
Not a single decent test match. One sided drubbings with the result never in doubt after stumps on the second day, usually pretty clear after the first day.

The last two series have been really poor haven't they? Lets hope the next one has at least one interesting match! Amazing that it's been 10 Ashes test matches since the last decent one.

You are wrong about the Oval 2013.  I was there that day - the match could easily have been called off half and hour earlier.

JGK wrote:You are wrong about the Oval 2013.  I was there that day - the match could easily have been called off half and hour earlier.

England beat Pakistan in near darkness at the beginning of the century. It should be up to the batsmen.

They also had floodlights didn't they?

vilkrang wrote:2002-3
 

Looks quite an uninteresting series to me. This was the series just before the summer where I really got in to cricket so would be interested to hear if anyone found any of these matches to have been particularly memorable. The 4th test looks like it could have been a bit exciting but no out and out classic matches (happy to be wrong about this, as I say I didn't watch it so any opposing views welcome!).

While not a classic match per se, the SCG Test of that series included the Steve Waugh last ball of the day to save your career century (and superb innings from Gilly and MPV).

vilkrang wrote:2006-7
 
The first ball in Brisbane was indicative of how the series was going to go. Despite the series being incredibly one sided for the most part, 2nd test at Adelaide will still go down as one of the best comebacks, I would imagine it's the closest thing to a Headingly that Australia have although at no point were they in quite as dire straits as England were in '81. 
 

A bonafide classic test match though in amongst a lot of one sided matches.

Adelaide was thrilling for sure.  But Gilly's 57 ball ton in Perth was also hella grouse.

vilkrang wrote:2015
 
Not a single decent test match. One sided drubbings with the result never in doubt after stumps on the second day, usually pretty clear after the first day.

Cardiff was literally the only Test that could have gone the other (stoopid Haddin).

vilkrang wrote:2002-3
 

Looks quite an uninteresting series to me. This was the series just before the summer where I really got in to cricket so would be interested to hear if anyone found any of these matches to have been particularly memorable. The 4th test looks like it could have been a bit exciting but no out and out classic matches (happy to be wrong about this, as I say I didn't watch it so any opposing views welcome!).

England let a strong position slip in the second test. Were about 300-2 just before stumps on day 1, before Bichel bowled the dominant Vaughan just before the close. The inevitable collapse occurred the next morning, and Australia ran away with it.

We had Australia in all sorts of trouble chasing a very small target in the fourth test. Steve Waugh came out to bat suffering from a migraine with Aus 30 odd for 3 chasing a low 100s score. We had him out caught behind, but incredibly no England player appealed because the Barmy Army were making too much noise and they couldn't hear the edge. The very next ball Harrison bowled, they had Waugh out caught at cover.....but it was called a no ball. Aus and Waugh then composed themselves and cantered towards the target.

Henry wrote:

vilkrang wrote:2002-3
 

Looks quite an uninteresting series to me. This was the series just before the summer where I really got in to cricket so would be interested to hear if anyone found any of these matches to have been particularly memorable. The 4th test looks like it could have been a bit exciting but no out and out classic matches (happy to be wrong about this, as I say I didn't watch it so any opposing views welcome!).

England let a strong position slip in the second test. Were about 300-2 just before stumps on day 1, before Bichel bowled the dominant Vaughan just before the close. The inevitable collapse occurred the next morning, and Australia ran away with it.

We had Australia in all sorts of trouble chasing a very small target in the fourth test. Steve Waugh came out to bat suffering from a migraine with Aus 30 odd for 3 chasing a low 100s score. We had him out caught behind, but incredibly no England player appealed because the Barmy Army were making too much noise and they couldn't hear the edge. The very next ball Harrison bowled, they had Waugh out caught at cover.....but it was called a no ball. Aus and Waugh then composed themselves and cantered towards the target.

Must have only been a small degree of edge

JGK wrote:

vilkrang wrote:2002-3
 

Looks quite an uninteresting series to me. This was the series just before the summer where I really got in to cricket so would be interested to hear if anyone found any of these matches to have been particularly memorable. The 4th test looks like it could have been a bit exciting but no out and out classic matches (happy to be wrong about this, as I say I didn't watch it so any opposing views welcome!).

While not a classic match per se, the SCG Test of that series included the Steve Waugh last ball of the day to save your career century (and superb innings from Gilly and MPV).

JGK wrote:

vilkrang wrote:2006-7
 
The first ball in Brisbane was indicative of how the series was going to go. Despite the series being incredibly one sided for the most part, 2nd test at Adelaide will still go down as one of the best comebacks, I would imagine it's the closest thing to a Headingly that Australia have although at no point were they in quite as dire straits as England were in '81. 
 

A bonafide classic test match though in amongst a lot of one sided matches.

Adelaide was thrilling for sure.  But Gilly's 57 ball ton in Perth was also hella grouse.

Both great moments for sure. There have been a handful of decent moments in this current series but those moments haven't translated in to decent matches (Broad's spell for example is memorable).