The 1989 Ashes series was a series of Test cricket matches contested between England and Australia for the Ashes. It formed part of the 1989 Australian tour of England. The six-Test series began on 8 June 1989 at Headingley in Leeds and ended on 29 August 1989 at The Oval in London.
Australia won the series 4–0 to win the Ashes for the first time since 1982–83, and the first time in England since 1975. Australia would go on to retain the Ashes until 2005, winning four series at home and a further three in England during this period.
The one-sidedness of the series was highlighted by Australia only using 12 players for the whole series, compared with England using 29 players.
Squads England
Manager: Micky Stewart PlayerDate of birthBattingBowling styleFirst class team David Gower (c) 1 April 1957 Left Right arm off spin Hampshire Mike Atherton 23 March 1968 Right Right arm leg spin Lancashire Kim Barnett 17 July 1960 Right Right arm leg spin Derbyshire Ian Botham 24 November 1955 Right Right arm fast medium Worcestershire Chris Broad 29 September 1957 Left Right arm fast medium Gloucestershire David Capel 6 February 1963 Right Right arm medium fast Northamptonshire Nick Cook 17 June 1956 Right Left arm orthodox Leicestershire Tim Curtis 15 January 1960 Right Right arm leg spin Worcestershire Phillip DeFreitas 18 February 1966 Right Right arm fast medium Derbyshire Graham Dilley 18 May 1959 Left Right arm fast Worcestershire John Emburey 20 August 1952 Right Right arm off spin Middlesex Neil Foster 6 May 1962 Right Right arm fast medium Essex Angus Fraser 8 August 1965 Right Right arm fast medium Middlesex Mike Gatting 6 June 1957 Right Right arm medium Middlesex Graham Gooch 23 July 1953 Right Right arm medium Essex Eddie Hemmings 20 February 1949 Right Right arm off spin Nottinghamshire Alan Igglesden 8 October 1964 Right Right arm medium fast Kent Paul Jarvis 29 June 1965 Right Right arm fast medium Yorkshire Allan Lamb 20 June 1954 Right Right arm medium Northamptonshire Devon Malcolm 22 February 1963 Right Right arm fast Derbyshire Martyn Moxon 4 May 1960 Right Right arm medium Yorkshire Phil Newport 11 October 1962 Right Right arm fast medium Worcestershire Derek Pringle 18 September 1958 Right Right arm medium Essex Tim Robinson 21 November 1958 Right Right arm medium Nottinghamshire Jack Russell 15 August 1963 Left Wicket-keeper Gloucestershire Gladstone Small 18 October 1961 Right Right arm fast medium Warwickshire Robin Smith 13 September 1963 Right Right arm leg spin Hampshire John Stephenson 14 March 1965 Right Right arm fast medium Essex Chris Tavaré 27 October 1954 Right Right arm off spin Kent
Australia
Coach: Bob Simpson PlayerDate of birthBattingBowling styleFirst class team Allan Border (c) 27 July 1955 Left Left arm orthodox Queensland Geoff Marsh (vc) 31 December 1958 Right Right arm medium Western Australia Terry Alderman 12 June 1956 Right Right arm fast medium / swing Western Australia David Boon 29 December 1960 Right Right arm off spin Tasmania Greg Campbell 10 March 1964 Right Right arm fast medium Tasmania Ian Healy 30 April 1964 Right Wicket-keeper Queensland Trevor Hohns 23 January 1954 Left Right arm leg spin Queensland Merv Hughes 23 November 1961 Right Right arm fast Victoria Dean Jones 24 March 1961 Right Right arm off spin Victoria Geoff Lawson 7 December 1957 Right Right arm fast New South Wales Mark Taylor 27 October 1964 Left Right arm medium New South Wales Steve Waugh 2 June 1965 Right Right arm medium New South Wales
Match details
First Test
Australia went into the First Test at Headingley as major underdogs having lost the previous two Ashes series both home and away, and also drawing the three match Texaco Trophy One Day International series to England. The English press had branded the tourists as 'possibly one of the worst sides to ever tour England'.
The Australian side was full of young, talented, and confident players, led by the gritty and determined Allan Border and had planned well for the series.
The match was evenly poised on the first morning of day one, but then brilliant batting by a young Mark Taylor and a coming of age by Steve Waugh who both scored centuries, took the Australians over 600 who confidently declared, and set the tone for the rest of the series. Australia were not dismissed for less than 400 all series.
The first Test was also marked by the re-emergence of Terry Alderman. After his brilliant 1981 Ashes series in which he took 42 wickets, he suffered serious injury, and a temporary ban for touring South Africa, but came back re-invented as a swing bowler for the 1989 Ashes and took 10 wickets in the first Test to lead Australia to a 210 run victory.
Day One
England won the toss and confidently sent the tourists in to bat on what looked a lively pitch, in fact as the day wore on, batting became easier and easier. Australia retained their new opening partnership of Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor who was playing in just his third Test and had so far failed to cement his place in the order. The first session saw the pair nervously trying to see off the new ball, and England's decision to bowl looked a good one when the opening stand was broken for 44, Marsh out for 16. The second wicket only added 13, with Australian stalwart David Boon caught behind for 9 and Australia teetering.
The Australian captain Allan Border came to the crease and slowly at first, but then with gathering momentum, he went about restoring the Australian innings alongside Mark Taylor, who appeared to be growing in confidence as the day went on. By the third session they had added 120 before Border mis-timed and was caught out for a determined 66. Australia had reached a healthy 174 for 3. Dean Jones joined Mark Taylor and the pair added a further 33 to see Australia at 207 for 3 at stumps on day one, with Taylor having batted the whole day not out on 96.
Day Two
Jones and Taylor resumed on the second morning with everybody watching to see if the young New South Wales batsman Taylor, could add the four runs he needed for his maiden Test century and he did not disappoint, bringing up his ton shortly after the resumption. It was not the most glamorous of centuries, but filled the young batsman with the confidence he needed to secure his place in the team for much of the next decade. Jones and Taylor batted throughout the morning taking Australia to 273 for 4 when Taylor was finally dismissed for 136.
Whilst the Englishmen may have been delighted to see the back of centurion Taylor, they would later regret the arrival of his replacement Steve Waugh, who throughout the remainder of the second day played an astonishing array of strokes all around the wicket, exemplified by his signature square cut, and simply tore the English bowling to pieces.
First with Dean Jones, eventually dismissed for 79, and with Merv Hughes after Ian Healy was dismissed for 16, Waugh battered the English bowling to be 174 not out and have Australia 580 for 6 at stumps on day two. The bowler Hughes also seemed filled with confidence from Waugh's display and remained with him on 63 not out. The partnership of Waugh and Hughes reached 147, a record for the 7th wicket in England.
Where Taylor's century had been workman-like, Waugh's was one of flair, hitting the boundary 24 times, and it saw the coming of age of a batman who had struggled in previous series, having not scored a century in the first four years of his Test career.
Day Three
England began the third day facing the gloomy prospect of a rampant Australia and gloomy skies as well. They had the consolation of dismissing the stubborn Hughes, but Australia soon passed 600 and captain Allan Border declared immediately at 601 for 7, with Steve Waugh undismissed on 177*.
Although the score they were chasing seemed daunting, England set about their innings in a sensible fashion, and although they lost Graham Gooch and Chris Broad before lunch, Allan Lamb and Kim Barnett set about building a solid partnership of 184, before Barnett was adjudged LBW for 80, replays suggested that the ball from Terry Alderman might have missed leg stump.
This method of dismissal was Alderman's trademark during the 1989 Ashes. He had the ability to obtain just enough swing such that balls which looked as if they would miss leg stump would swing back late and trap batsmen as they played the ball to leg. Given Alderman bowled so close to the stumps, umpires were inclined to give decisions in Alderman's favour. This was clearly before the days of the "hawkeye" predictive path – though several decisions given in Alderman's favour throughout the series (of which Barnett's was one) would probably not have been given out at the time of writing (December 2009).
As they skies turned heavier, Alderman seemed to extract more and more swing and beat the bat throughout the afternoon. England were having difficulty playing him, but kept the scoreboard ticking over nonetheless. Geoff Lawson had English captain David Gower caught behind for 26 in the final session bringing South African born Robin Smith to the crease. Lamb reached his century just before stumps on day three and remained 103 not out over night, England having reached a healthy 284 for 4 in reply.
Day Four
England resumed on the fourth day looking to get as close as possible to Australia's score in the hope of bowling them out cheaply in the second innings, and set up an easy chase. Lamb moved on from his overnight 103 in much the same fashion as he had done the previous day. Smith joined in and the pair looked quite comfortable throughout the morning. Lamb was batting confidently and the pair took their partnership past 50. A short time later however, Lamb was undone by a brilliant trade-mark bat-pad catch by David Boon off Alderman's bowling. A short time later Derek Pringle, out LBW, became debutant Greg Campbell's first ever Test wicket, and his only victim of the whole tour.
England who had been progressing nicely were teetering and 338 for 6. Smith and Phil Newport briefly stabilised the innings, before Smith was undone by yet another straight ball from Terry Alderman, trapping him LBW for 66. Gooch and Barnett had been dismissed with identical deliveries. Newport was joined by Jack Russell and the pair took England past 400, but the Australian bowlers had their tails up. Newport went for a well made 36, caught hooking by Boon off Lawson, and Phillip DeFreitas lasted just 6 balls before being undone by the fourth straight one Terry Alderman, also out LBW. Russell and Neil Foster added a further 6 runs before was caught by Geoff Marsh off Lawson leaving England all out for 430, 171 runs in arrears. Terry Alderman was the pick of the Australian bowlers with 5 for 107 for the innings.
England felt they probably still had a chance of victory if they could pick up quick wickets, and set up a low final day run chase, but would otherwise be looking for the draw. Things began brightly for England when Geoff Marsh was caught behind for only 6 off Neil Foster's bowling. But from then on David Boon and Mark Taylor looked determined to put the game out of England's reach, until Taylor was out for a well made 60 leaving Australia at 97 for 2. Captain Allan Border came in and looked determined to lead from the front, scoring at a fast rate, and when Boon was out for 43, Dean Jones emerged from the dressing room looking even more determined. The pair moved along at a rapid rate, taking Australia to 158 for 3 at stumps.
Day Five