The 2015 Ashes series (named Investec Ashes Series for sponsorship reasons) was a series of
Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...
matches played between
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and
Australia for
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, '' The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, its first ...
. The venues were
Sophia Gardens
Sophia Gardens ( cy, Gerddi Sophia) is a public park in Riverside, Cardiff, Wales, on the west bank of the River Taff. International test cricket matches and county cricket matches are held in the Sophia Gardens cricket ground, the home of ...
(
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
),
Lord's (
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
),
Edgbaston
Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre.
In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family a ...
(
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
),
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nottingham. Trent Bridge is also ...
(
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...
), and
The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
(London). Australia were the defending holders of the Ashes going into the series, having
won in 2013–14. England won the series 3–2, regaining the Ashes after taking an unassailable lead with victory in the fourth Test.
Rescheduling
Starting with this series, the four-year cycle of Ashes series in England is being brought forward by two years. Similarly, series in Australia were brought forward one year beginning with the
2013–14 series. This rescheduling was to avoid a clash with the
2015 World Cup, which was hosted by Australia and New Zealand, and future World Cup preparations. England last hosted the Ashes in
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
.
However, this rescheduling would cause England to host an Ashes series in 2019 immediately after the
2019 World Cup in England, resulting in a possible hindrance to Australia's Ashes preparations, despite the 2013–14 series being held a year earlier than scheduled to avoid the same outcome with the World Cup.
The rescheduling has been criticised in some quarters as owing to greed and commercialism. The
ECB have also commented that having three Ashes series in two years will also prevent any future Ashes series held in Australia from affecting
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
preparations.
Squads
On 31 March 2015, Australia announced a 17-man touring party for the Ashes series.
England announced their squad for the first Test on 1 July.
Australia fast-bowler
Ryan Harris announced his retirement from cricket days before the start of the series, due to an ongoing knee injury. He was subsequently replaced by New South Wales fast bowler
Pat Cummins
Patrick James Cummins (born 8 May 1993) is an Australian international cricketer who captains the Australian cricket team in Test and ODI cricket. He is a fast bowler and right-handed batsman. He plays domestically for New South Wales.
Cumm ...
.
1 Cummins replaced
Ryan Harris, who retired prior to the start of the series due to a knee injury.
2 Bairstow replaced
Gary Ballance in the squad from the third Test onwards.
3 Plunkett and Footitt replaced
James Anderson James Anderson may refer to:
Arts
*James Anderson (American actor) (1921–1969), American actor
*James Anderson (author) (1936–2007), British mystery writer
*James Anderson (English actor) (born 1980), British actor
* James Anderson (filmmaker) ...
in the squad for the fourth Test due to Anderson suffering an injury.
Anderson returned to the squad in place of Footitt for the fifth Test.
Matches
First Test
Having been asked to field first by England, despite the start being delayed by a prolonged opening ceremony, the Australians made an early breakthrough with the wicket of
Adam Lyth
Adam Lyth (born 25 September 1987) is an English Test cricketer, who has played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club since 2007. He is a left-handed opening batsman.
Career
Domestic career
Born 25 September 1987, Whitby, North Yorkshire, Lyth ma ...
(6). The arrival of
Gary Ballance saw a mini-partnership develop between him and captain
Alastair Cook
Sir Alastair Nathan Cook (born 25 December 1984) is an English cricketer who plays for Essex County Cricket Club, and played for England in all international formats from 2006 to 2018. A former captain of the England Test and One-Day Intern ...
, before Cook (20) edged a ball from spinner
Nathan Lyon
Nathan Michael Lyon (born 20 November 1987) is an Australian international cricketer. He made his Test debut in 2011 and plays domestic cricket for New South Wales. Lyon is an off spin bowler and a lower-order right-handed batsman. Considered ...
to wicket-keeper
Brad Haddin
Bradley James Haddin (born 23 October 1977), is a former Australian cricketer, vice-captain and coach who represented Australia in all three forms of international cricket. He played domestically for New South Wales as a right-handed batsman ...
, followed almost immediately by
Ian Bell
Ian Ronald Bell (born 11 April 1982) is an English former cricketer who played international cricket in all formats for the England cricket team and county cricket for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. A right-handed higher/middle order batsm ...
(1), trapped LBW by
Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Aaron Starc (born 30 January 1990) is an Australian international cricketer who plays for the Australian national team and New South Wales in domestic cricket. A left-arm fast bowler and a lower order left-handed batsman, Starc repres ...
. That brought
Joe Root
Joseph Edward Root, (born 30 December 1990) is an English international cricketer, who plays for the England Test and One Day International (ODI) teams, and formerly captained the Test team. He also represents Yorkshire in English domestic ...
to the crease to join his
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
teammate Ballance. In what was undoubtedly the turning point in the match, Haddin dropped a fairly regulation catch from the bowling of Starc on Root's second delivery. The dismissal would have reduced England to 43/4 after they chose to bat first, but after the let off the pair raced to their respective fifties, putting on 153 runs for the fourth wicket before Ballance was trapped LBW by
Josh Hazlewood
Josh Reginald Hazlewood (born 8 January 1991) is an Australian international cricketer. He is a tall pace bowler known for his accuracy and has been compared to former Australian paceman Glenn McGrath. Hazlewood currently ranks no.2 in ODI, no.1 ...
for 61. Root and
Ben Stokes then shared a fifth-wicket stand of 84 before Root was caught out by
Shane Watson
Shane Robert Watson (born 17 June 1981) is an Australian former cricketer, and occasional captain in all formats, who has played for Australia's national cricket team. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-handed fast-medium swing bowler w ...
off Starc for a total of 134, having rescued England from 43/3 to 280/5. Stokes completed his half-century before he was bowled by Starc for 52, and
Jos Buttler
Joseph Charles Buttler (born 8 September 1990) is an English cricketer who captains the England cricket team in limited overs cricket, and plays for the England Test team. In domestic cricket he represents Lancashire, having previously played ...
was also out for 27 after a seventh-wicket stand of exactly 50 with
Moeen Ali
Moeen or Moein or Moien is a given name and surname. It is a Quranic name which means: helper, supporter, or provider of refuge.
Notable persons with the name include:
Persons with the given name
* Moein (singer) (born 1951), Iranian singer
* ...
, but England managed to see out the day on 343/7.
Having been 26 not out overnight, Moeen Ali added another 51 runs on the morning of the second day before he was caught out by Watson off Starc.
Stuart Broad
Stuart may refer to:
Names
*Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile
* Stuart (automobile)
Places
Australia Generally
*Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory
Northe ...
's 18 was the only significant contribution to the England total among the tail, and Starc completed a five-wicket haul when he bowled
James Anderson James Anderson may refer to:
Arts
*James Anderson (American actor) (1921–1969), American actor
*James Anderson (author) (1936–2007), British mystery writer
*James Anderson (English actor) (born 1980), British actor
* James Anderson (filmmaker) ...
to end the England innings on 430. Australia made a steady start to their response, putting on 52 runs before
David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to:
Sports
* Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor
* David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier
* David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer
Oth ...
was caught by Cook in the slips for 17. Next to go for Australia was
Steve Smith Stephen, Steve, Stevie, or Steven Smith may refer to:
Academics
* Steve Smith (political scientist) (born 1952), British international relations theorist and senior university manager
* Stephen Smith (journalist) (born 1956), American journalist, ...
, recently ranked as the best Test batsman in the world, caught at short mid-on by Cook off the bowling of Moeen Ali for 33. Meanwhile,
Chris Rogers reached 95 before edging a ball from
Mark Wood through to Buttler to become the first player to record seven consecutive Test fifties without converting one to a century; it was also Wood's maiden Ashes wicket. A second wicket for Moeen Ali soon followed, as he caught Australia captain
Michael Clarke off his own bowling. A 50-run partnership between
Adam Voges and Shane Watson for the fifth wicket was ended shortly before the end of the day, with Voges caught by Anderson off Stokes for 31, leaving Australia on 264/5 at the close of play.
![2015 Ashes series First Test, Day 3, Session 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/2015_Ashes_series_First_Test%2C_Day_3%2C_Session_1.JPG)
The third morning started with two quick wickets, with Watson and
nightwatchman Lyon departing for the addition of just one run. A flurry of runs from Haddin and
Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Guy Johnson (born 2 November 1981) is a former Australian cricketer, who played all forms of the game for his national side. He is a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman. He made his Test debut for Australia in November 2007 ...
saw Australia pass 300, but the last two wickets fell for just four runs, and Australia were all out for 308, still 122 runs behind England. As England began their second innings, the Australians again made early breakthroughs, with Cook out for 12 and Ballance out for a
duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...
, before Lyth and Bell shared a stand of 51 runs for the third wicket. The partnership was broken when Clarke made a one-handed catch to dismiss Lyth for 37, but Bell batted on to reach his first Test half-century in 10 innings. He and Root put on 97 for the fourth wicket before Bell was out for 60, bowled by Johnson for the Australian's first wicket of the match, following first-innings figures of 0/111. Root followed 11 overs later for exactly the same score off exactly the same number of balls, and dismissed in exactly the same manner by Hazlewood. Stokes then made a useful 42, but after the dismissal of Buttler (7), there was a clatter of wickets, reducing England from 236/5 to 245/8 in less than three overs. Wood hit a quickfire 32 not out off 18 balls to push England towards 300, but they were eventually bowled out for 289, a lead of 411. With rain forecast for the fifth day, England knew that they would have to bowl Australia out on day 4 to ensure victory.
With Australia chasing 412 to win, they lost Rogers for 10 early on, ending his record-equalling run of half-centuries, but a 78-run partnership between Warner and Smith looked to have stabilised the innings. The stand was broken by Moeen Ali in the final over before lunch, trapping Warner LBW for 52. Australia then lost Smith (33), Clarke (4) and Voges (1) in the five overs following the interval; in the space of six overs, they had fallen from 97/1 to 106/5. Haddin was next to go, caught at short midwicket by Cook for 7; the England captain parried the ball up at the first attempt, but retained his focus to cling on at the second time of asking. Watson (19) did his best to reignite the innings before being trapped LBW for the second time in the match, reducing Australia to 151/7. Johnson and Starc then shared a 72-run partnership for the eighth wicket, only for Root's
off spin
Off spin is a type of finger spin bowling in cricket. A bowler who uses this technique is called an off spinner. Off spinners are right-handed spin bowlers who use their fingers to spin the ball. Their normal delivery is an off break, which spi ...
to find both their edges to leave the tourists 169 behind with one wicket in hand. Root was again involved in the final wicket, as Moeen Ali tempted Hazlewood into a big shot down the ground to long on, where Root was waiting to take the catch and seal victory. For his contributions primarily with the bat, but also with the ball, Root was named Man of the Match.
Second Test
Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. After losing
David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to:
Sports
* Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor
* David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier
* David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer
Oth ...
for 38, the duo of
Chris Rogers and
Steve Smith Stephen, Steve, Stevie, or Steven Smith may refer to:
Academics
* Steve Smith (political scientist) (born 1952), British international relations theorist and senior university manager
* Stephen Smith (journalist) (born 1956), American journalist, ...
batted out the rest of day one and both scored hundreds in the process. Australia finished on 337/1 at stumps with Rogers on 158 and Smith on 129.
Stuart Broad
Stuart may refer to:
Names
*Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile
* Stuart (automobile)
Places
Australia Generally
*Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory
Northe ...
ended the 284-run partnership by dismissing Rogers for 173 in the sixth over of the second day. Smith continued to amass runs even as wickets fell at the other end. A few overs before tea, Smith was dismissed
leg before wicket
Leg before wicket (lbw) is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed in the sport of cricket. Following an appeal by the fielding side, the umpire may rule a batter out lbw if the ball would have struck the wicket but was instead in ...
for 215 by Joe Root. After a brisk 45 by debutant
Peter Nevill, Australia decided to declare when their score was on 566/8. In reply, England were reduced to 30/4 as Australian fast bowlers delivered early breakthroughs. England captain
Alastair Cook
Sir Alastair Nathan Cook (born 25 December 1984) is an English cricketer who plays for Essex County Cricket Club, and played for England in all international formats from 2006 to 2018. A former captain of the England Test and One-Day Intern ...
then stabilised the innings with
Ben Stokes and took the score to 85/4 at the close of day's play.
Cook and Stokes continued to rebuild for England on the third day, but the wicket of Stokes just before lunch dented England's progress. Apart from a knock of 39 by Moeen Ali, Cook got little support from the remaining batsmen and was dismissed four runs short of a hundred. England were eventually bowled out for 312 after tea. Instead of enforcing the
follow on
In the game of cricket, a team who batted second and scored significantly fewer runs than the team who batted first may be forced to follow-on: to take their second innings immediately after their first. The follow-on can be enforced by the team ...
, Australia decided to bat their second innings. Both their openers started to score rapidly and took the team score to 108 without loss at stumps.
Rogers was
retired hurt
In cricket, a batsman may retire from an innings at any time when the ball is dead; they must then be replaced by a teammate who has not been dismissed. The most common reason for retirement is if the batsman becomes injured or unwell, in which ...
for 49 early during the morning session of the fourth day but that did not halt the Australian onslaught. Australia batsmen continued to pile on quick runs as they attacked the England bowlers, increasing the lead. Warner was dismissed for 83, before an aggressive 48-ball 58 from Smith and quickfire cameos from Clarke and Mitchell Marsh had taken the visitors' total to 254/2 in just 49 overs when Clarke decided to declare. Being set an improbable target of 509 runs to be scored in five sessions, England started poorly with none of the top-order batsmen reaching 15. England were eventually bowled out in just 37 overs for 103. Australia thus leveled the series 1–1 with a 405-run victory and Smith was named player of the match.
Third Test
Steven Finn
Steven Thomas Finn (born 4 April 1989) is an English cricketer. He is a right-arm fast bowler, who also bats right-handed. At the age of 16, he became Middlesex County Cricket Club's youngest-ever debutant in first-class cricket. He made his E ...
came into the England team in place of Mark Wood. Australia won the toss and chose to bat first with an unchanged team. Australia were 72/3 at lunch before England fast bowlers took quick wickets in the second session to bowl Australia out for 136.
James Anderson James Anderson may refer to:
Arts
*James Anderson (American actor) (1921–1969), American actor
*James Anderson (author) (1936–2007), British mystery writer
*James Anderson (English actor) (born 1980), British actor
* James Anderson (filmmaker) ...
claimed six wickets, while Broad and Finn took two each. In reply, England rode on fifties from
Ian Bell
Ian Ronald Bell (born 11 April 1982) is an English former cricketer who played international cricket in all formats for the England cricket team and county cricket for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. A right-handed higher/middle order batsm ...
and
Joe Root
Joseph Edward Root, (born 30 December 1990) is an English international cricketer, who plays for the England Test and One Day International (ODI) teams, and formerly captained the Test team. He also represents Yorkshire in English domestic ...
to finish the day at a solid position of 133/3, despite losing the wicket of Bell towards the end.
Australia made inroads on the second morning and reduced England to 190/7. An eighth-wicket stand of 87 runs between Moeen Ali and Broad gave England a healthy lead before Australia came back to dismiss the tail and end the innings at 281, a lead of 145 for England. In Australia's second innings, a devastating spell from Finn reduced Australia from 62/1 to 92/5, with five of the top six batsmen being dismissed for single-digit scores.
David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to:
Sports
* Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor
* David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier
* David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer
Oth ...
counter-attacked for Australia with a 62-ball 77. Australia finished the second day on 168/7, only 23 runs ahead, with Finn having five wickets to his name and England in a very strong position. But during the day Anderson had to leave the match due to side strain and would not return.
On the morning of the third day, battling fifties from Peter Nevill and Mitchell Starc extended Australia's slender lead. England bowlers then came back to end the Australian innings at 265. Finn ended with career-best figures of 6/79. Chasing the target of 121 to win, England lost both openers cheaply, but unbeaten knocks of 65 from Bell and 38 from Root guided England to a comfortable victory by eight wickets, and a 2–1 series lead. Finn was awarded man of the match.
Fourth Test
England won the toss and elected to bowl first. England made one change to their team, replacing the injured James Anderson with Mark Wood, while Shaun Marsh replaced his brother Mitchell in the Australian side. Australia were bowled out before lunch on the first day for 60 in 18.3 overs, the fewest overs a team has been bowled out for in the first innings of a Test match.
Stuart Broad
Stuart may refer to:
Names
*Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile
* Stuart (automobile)
Places
Australia Generally
*Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory
Northe ...
picked up 8/15, the best bowling figures by a fast bowler in an Ashes Test, while
extras outscored every one of Australia's batsmen with 14 (the top-scoring batsman was tail-ender Mitchell Johnson, with 13). In England's first innings, after
Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Aaron Starc (born 30 January 1990) is an Australian international cricketer who plays for the Australian national team and New South Wales in domestic cricket. A left-arm fast bowler and a lower order left-handed batsman, Starc repres ...
took three early wickets,
Joe Root
Joseph Edward Root, (born 30 December 1990) is an English international cricketer, who plays for the England Test and One Day International (ODI) teams, and formerly captained the Test team. He also represents Yorkshire in English domestic ...
and
Jonny Bairstow
Jonathan Marc Bairstow (born 26 September 1989) is an English cricketer who plays internationally for England in all formats. In domestic cricket, he represents Yorkshire, and has played in multiple Twenty20 leagues, including for Sunrisers Hy ...
put up 173 runs for the fourth wicket. Bairstow was dismissed towards the end of first day and England were 274/4 at stumps.
Starc dismissed Root for 130 and took two more wickets on the morning of the second day, but a quickfire lower-order partnership between
Moeen Ali
Moeen or Moein or Moien is a given name and surname. It is a Quranic name which means: helper, supporter, or provider of refuge.
Notable persons with the name include:
Persons with the given name
* Moein (singer) (born 1951), Iranian singer
* ...
and Broad pushed England's total higher. England decided to declare at the brink of lunch when their total had reached 391/9. Australia's second innings began with a 113-run opening stand between Warner and Rogers.
Ben Stokes took the first three Australian wickets and triggered a collapse.
Adam Voges showed some resistance while wickets fell at the other end, taking Australia to 241/7 at the close of the day's play.
England took just 10.2 overs on the third day to claim the remaining three Australian wickets. Australia were bowled out for 253, giving England a victory by an innings and 78 runs. Stokes had figures of 6/36 in the second innings and Broad was named man of the match. England regained the Ashes with a match to spare in the series, and Ian Bell became the first England player since
Ian Botham to win five Ashes series. At the conclusion of the match, Australian captain
Michael Clarke announced he would retire from international cricket after the series.
Fifth Test
James Anderson was not passed fit for the fifth Test, so England named an unchanged side, denying
Adil Rashid
Adil Usman Rashid (born 17 February 1988) is an English cricketer who plays for England in One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket, and previously played for the Test team. In domestic cricket, he represents Yo ...
his home Test debut. For Australia,
Josh Hazlewood
Josh Reginald Hazlewood (born 8 January 1991) is an Australian international cricketer. He is a tall pace bowler known for his accuracy and has been compared to former Australian paceman Glenn McGrath. Hazlewood currently ranks no.2 in ODI, no.1 ...
was ruled out with an ankle injury, paving the way for
Peter Siddle
Peter Matthew Siddle (born 25 November 1984) is an Australian cricketer. He is a specialist right-arm fast-medium bowler who currently plays for Tasmania in first-class and List A cricket and for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League. ...
to make a long-awaited return to Test cricket ahead of
Pat Cummins
Patrick James Cummins (born 8 May 1993) is an Australian international cricketer who captains the Australian cricket team in Test and ODI cricket. He is a fast bowler and right-handed batsman. He plays domestically for New South Wales.
Cumm ...
, despite media reports to the contrary before the match.
Mitchell Marsh
Mitchell Ross Marsh (born 20 October 1991) is an Australian international cricketer. Marsh has represented Australia in all three forms of cricket, making his debut during the 2011–12 season.
Personal life
Marsh is the second son of Geoff Ma ...
was recalled ahead of his brother
Shaun Shaun is an anglicized spelling of the Irish name Seán. Alternative spellings include Shawn, Sean and Shawne.
Notable persons with the given name include:
People
*Shaun (musician) (born 1990), South Korean musician
*Shaun (YouTuber), British vi ...
, while
Brad Haddin
Bradley James Haddin (born 23 October 1977), is a former Australian cricketer, vice-captain and coach who represented Australia in all three forms of international cricket. He played domestically for New South Wales as a right-handed batsman ...
was not recalled for his possible final Test match.
Australia dominated the match right from the start with a century opening partnership between Warner and Rogers. Steven Smith scored his 11th test century as Australia finished their innings at 481. England's reply was lacking with them ending day 2 at 107/8. England, after being bowled out for 149 in their first innings, were asked to follow on. However, by the end of the third day an innings defeat was looming with England on 203/6 and still trailing by 129 runs. With the threat of rain washing out several sessions of the last two days, Australia started day 4 brightly and took two early wickets before rain brought an early lunch. After a lengthy lunch break, Siddle took the last two wickets to bring an end to an eventful series. This match marked the end of the international careers of both Michael Clarke and Chris Rogers.
Aftermath
The Ashes trophy was presented to England immediately after their defeat in the fifth Test. This was criticised by ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''s
Mike Selvey
Michael Walter William Selvey (born 25 April 1948), known as Mike Selvey, is an English former Test and county cricketer, and now a cricket writer and commentator. Selvey played in three Tests for England in 1976 and 1977. His county cricket co ...
, who called the ceremony "perhaps the most incongruous champagne shower in history".
Joe Root
Joseph Edward Root, (born 30 December 1990) is an English international cricketer, who plays for the England Test and One Day International (ODI) teams, and formerly captained the Test team. He also represents Yorkshire in English domestic ...
was awarded the
Compton–Miller Medal
The Compton–Miller Medal is an award for the man of the series in an individual Ashes series of cricket matches between Australia and England.
The award was inaugurated in 2005 and is named after two great cricketers: the batsman Denis Comp ...
for player of the series.
Australian players
Michael Clarke,
Chris Rogers,
Shane Watson
Shane Robert Watson (born 17 June 1981) is an Australian former cricketer, and occasional captain in all formats, who has played for Australia's national cricket team. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-handed fast-medium swing bowler w ...
and
Brad Haddin
Bradley James Haddin (born 23 October 1977), is a former Australian cricketer, vice-captain and coach who represented Australia in all three forms of international cricket. He played domestically for New South Wales as a right-handed batsman ...
retired from Test cricket at the end of the series.
[ England moved up to third in the ]ICC Test Championship
The ICC Men's Test Team Rankings (formerly known as the ICC Test Championship) is an international rankings system of the International Cricket Council for the 12 teams that play Test cricket (though Afghanistan and Ireland are not currently ra ...
(from sixth at the start of the series), but remained behind Australia who stayed in second place.
Cricket journalists gave a mixed opinion on the quality of the series, praising several good spells of bowling but criticising the poor standard of batting, which was seen as too aggressive and impatient for Test cricket. There was also disappointment that none of the matches lasted the full five days, with the result often obvious early on. Vic Marks said "by the end of the second day of each match we always knew who was going to win; sometimes that was obvious by the end of the first day; at Nottingham by the first interval".[
]
Notes
References
External links
{{2015 English cricket season
2015
Ashes
International cricket competitions in 2015