Players may wilt in the sweltering heat of an Ashes battle. Others, however, appear to enjoy the ferocious atmosphere of playing in a match between Australia and England, two bitter rivals.
Although it is obviously difficult to ignore those that have occurred in more recent times, we have attempted to choose a number of great knocks from each era.
All four individual scores of 200 or higher have been taken into account due to the extreme concentration and dedication required to achieve a triple hundred.
The match situation has also received attention, whether it be in the form of a last-ditch effort to save the day or in assisting their team to victory.
The top 5 best knocks of Ashes are:
1. Nasser Hussain 207 vs England- 1997 Ashes
The 1997 Ashes series got off to an unexpected start, with Australia leading 54-8 after 90 overs thanks to some brilliant bowling from Devon Malcolm, Darren Gough, and Andy Caddick. England got off to a bad start, falling to 50/3 when Graham Thorpe joined Nasser Hussain, and a Warne cameo helped the total to 118.
Hussain then scored his highest score of his career against an attack from Kasprowicz, Gillespie, Warne, and McGrath during a partnership of 288.
He broke the previous mark for England batsmen in an Ashes innings with 38 boundaries, which enabled England to win the first game of the series. Of course, it was not to be as Australia won the six-match series 3-2, but the game did include the innings that the computer determined to be the best in Ashes cricket in the previous forty years.
How effective, then, have Smith and Marsh’s innings been so far in the series?
Both were played against bowling attacks that included the best bowler in the world in relatively low-scoring contests. Scaling up Smith’s 141 to be worth 210 and Marsh’s 126 to be worth 186.
2. Mark Butcher 173 runs vs Australia 2001 Ashes
Even though Australia led the series 3-0 entering the fourth Test, Mark Butcher still managed to play one of his most memorable innings. England needed an unlikely 315 to win after a declaration in the second inning.
Nasser Hussain and Mark Ramprakash provided support for Butcher along the way as two early wickets threatened to put the chase in jeopardy. Butcher ended up scoring 23 fours and one six to bring home a notable victory.
3. Paul Collingwood 206 runs vs Australia 2006 Ashes
For England, everything seemed to be going well. As England declared at 551-6, Paul Collingwood scored the first double century by an English batsman in Australia since 1936. In 53 overs of bowling, Warne only had the wicket of Geraint Jones to show for his efforts, but he and Kevin Pietersen put on 310 runs for the fourth wicket.
The match appeared to be headed for a draw at the end of the fourth day, but Brett Lee, McGrath, and Warne had other plans!
4. Geoff Boycott 191 runs vs Australia 1977 Ashes
There is no better place to hit your 100th first-class century than in front of your adoring home crowd, as Geoff Boycott did in the 1977 Ashes Test at Leeds. Mike Brearley was out without scoring a run, but Boycott batted for ten and a half hours before being the final batsman out.
Australia lost by an innings after falling for 103 and 248; this was more than enough for England.
5. Steven Smith 215 runs vs England 2015 Ashes
When Australia batted first, they reached 337/1 at the end of the first day. Smith continued his innings into the second day before being dismissed for a career-high 215. After falling for 192 and 199 earlier in his career, he was relieved to find it.
After that, Mitchell Johnson took control, taking three wickets in each of England’s innings to lead his team to a decisive victory by 405 runs.
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