Xavier Babbidge 12:05am BST 23 June 2024
The Ashes series between England and Australia is one of the most famous rivalries in all of sports. However, in recent years, playing the Baggy Greens on their home turf has always been a difficult task for the visitors, with the strong Aussie conditions and raucous home supporters creating an intimidating atmosphere. And one only needs to look at the Land Down Under’s recent tour to see how England have struggled.
the visitors soundly lost the last three Ashes series on Australian soil, and did so by a combined score of 13-0. It’s been 13 years since they’ve won a test match at home and the Aussies have held on to the Urn since 2018. This winter, the two sides will compete again and the bookies expect it to be very close. competition than in previous years.
The latest online sports betting odds have the hosts a -165 favourite, the visitors a +250 live underdog. However, they will have to improve forever to ensure that they are not disgraced again. Here are the last three times England managed to avoid defeat in the Land Down Under, hopefully giving Ben Stokes and Co. a lot of hope ahead of the blockbuster game later this year.
2021–22 Fourth examination
The 2021-22 Ashes series was tough for England, as they faced the Australian team. The hosts kept the urn at a canter, winning the first three test matches in a dominant fashion. They lost by nine wickets in the first clash at the Gabba, 275 runs in the second in Adelaide and an innings at the MCG. They couldn’t manage more than 300 runs in any of those matches and head to Sydney ready for another run.
Australia declared their first innings at 416/8, riding high on Usman Khawaja’s 137. However, the weather helped England, it rained on the first day, which means that they still have very few overs left. The hosts then plundered another 265 in their second innings with Khawaja making another hundred before declaring.
England then knew they had to survive the final day to avoid another defeat. Zak Crawley set the tone with a solid 77, but the fold duly followed. In the middle overs, the heroics of Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow held the innings and provided the defense but both were dismissed with plenty of time left. In the end, it was Jack Leach and Stuart Broad who held firm, ensuring England got out of a tough draw, finishing on 270/9 and salvaging some pride in an otherwise miserable series.
2017-18 4th Test
Four years ago England found itself in a similar situation. They had already surrendered the Urn with a whimper, losing the first three tests and aiming to avoid a second successive lime. Fortunately for them, that came in the 4th test at the MCG when the visitors finally showed their enthusiasm.
Batting first, Australia posted a formidable 327, courtesy of David Warner’s 103. England, in reply, eventually took the lead in the Test by posting 491, with captain Alastair Cook playing an unbeaten 244, an innings characterized by his usual patience. . and good stroke play on a hard pitch. In their second innings, Australia managed 263/4 declared, leaving England only 99 runs to win but with no time to get the runs needed.
Rain ended the match at 3 pm on the fourth day and did not return on the fifth day, ensuring a draw. This was a tournament that England could have won, but in the end they had to settle for a draw and not end the series with another 5-0 defeat.
2010-11 Fifth Examination
You have to go back to January 2011 to find England’s last Test win in Australia. At that point, the shoe was definitely on the other foot, and the visitors went to the SCG with a 2-1 lead and a real hope of claiming the urn on Australian soil for the first time in 24 years. And finally, those dreams came true, and they did it in an outstanding way.
The Aussies batted first but were all out for 280, with fast bowler Mitchell Johnson falling just shy of 53 runs at the bottom of the order. England then took over and were in dire straits. Opener Alistair Cook continued his impressive form with 189, taking his total in the series to 766, the fourth highest of all time. He was supported by further centuries from Ian Bell and Matt Prior who scored 115 and 118 respectively en route to 644 for the visitors.
England’s bowlers then took over and dismantled the hosts in the second innings. They were all out for 281, Chris Tremlett and Graham Swann being the main culprits, ensuring that their team won by an innings and 83 runs and took home the urn. Can a new breed repeat the feat this winter?
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