The 2019 Ashes series (officially the Specsavers Ashes Series for sponsorship reasons) was a series of Test cricket matches played between England and Australia for The Ashes in August and September 2019. The venues were Edgbaston, Lord's, Headingley, Old Trafford and The Oval.
Australia were the defending holders of the Ashes going into the series, having won in 2017–18. The series was the first in the inaugural 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship.
The series was drawn 2–2. Australia won the first Test decisively to gain a 1–0 series lead. This was followed by a tense draw in the second Test, where a concussion substitute was used for the first time in international cricket. England then levelled the series 1–1 with a narrow win in the third Test. Australia fought back to gain a 2–1 series lead after winning the fourth Test, retaining the Ashes for the first time since 2001. However, England levelled the series with a comfortable victory in the fifth Test, resulting in the first drawn Ashes series since 1972.
Steve Smith’s phenomenal series total of 774 runs at an average of 110.57 has been lauded as one of the best batting performances of all time. Ben Stokes' match-winning 135* in the third Test also received recognition as one of the best Test innings of all time.
Background The 2019 Ashes series began with Australia leading England by 33 series to 32, with five drawn series. Australia had won four of the last 10 Ashes series, including winning the most recent series 4–0 in 2017–18, but the 2015 series, the most recent to be held in England, was won 3–2 by the home side.
No visiting team had won an Ashes series and/or retained the Ashes since England defeated Australia 3–1 away in 2010–11. Furthermore, Australia last won an Ashes series in England in 2001. The two teams previously met in one warm-up game and two ODI matches in the Cricket World Cup held in England and Wales in the previous months, with Australia winning the warm-up game at the Rose Bowl by 12 runs and the group stage match convincingly by 64 runs at Lord's. In their semi final rematch, England had their own convincing win by eight wickets with 107 balls to spare, en route to winning the tournament for the first time.
Australia's last two Test series before the Ashes were played against India and Sri Lanka during the home summer season of 2018–19. Although India won their tour series 2–1, the first time India had won a Test series in Australia, Australia recovered to win the Test series against Sri Lanka 2–0.
Prior to the Ashes series, Australia had its top-order batsmen David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft available for international selection, who were banned from playing international cricket for 9–12 months due to the 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town against South Africa. All three cricketers were named in Australia's squad for the 2019 Ashes.
Meanwhile, England warmed up for the 2019 Ashes with a Test series earlier in the year against the West Indies and a one-off Test against Ireland in July. The tour of the West Indies comprised three matches and was won 2–1 by the West Indies. England then improved to win the one-off Test against Ireland, by 143 runs.
Ahead of the series, it was announced that the second day of the Lord's Test would benefit the Ruth Strauss Foundation, a cancer charity set up in memory of the wife of England's Ashes-winning captain Andrew Strauss, who had died on 29 December 2018 from a rare form of lung cancer. Both teams wore red caps, the stumps were red, and fans were also encouraged to wear red. Australia already had a similar tradition – the Jane McGrath Day is the third day of the Sydney Test during the traditional New Year's Test time slot, in honour of the English-born wife of Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath, who died from breast cancer, only with pink replacing red, and the proceeds benefiting the McGrath Foundation.
Squads On 26 July 2019, Australia announced a 17-man touring party for the Ashes series. England announced their squad for the first Test on 27 July.
Joe Root (c) Ben Stokes (vc) Moeen Ali1 James Anderson2 Jofra Archer Jonny Bairstow (wk) Stuart Broad Rory Burns Jos Buttler (wk) Sam Curran Joe Denly Jack Leach1 Craig Overton2 Jason Roy Olly Stone Chris Woakes Tim Paine (c, wk) Pat Cummins (vc) Travis Head (vc) Cameron Bancroft Marcus Harris Josh Hazlewood Usman Khawaja Marnus Labuschagne Nathan Lyon Mitchell Marsh Michael Neser James Pattinson Peter Siddle Steve Smith Mitchell Starc Matthew Wade (wk) David Warner
1 Jack Leach was added to England's squad for the second Test, with Moeen Ali being dropped.
2 Ahead of the fourth Test, James Anderson was ruled out of England's squad for the rest of the series, with Craig Overton named as replacement.
Matches
First Test
Day one The first morning of the Ashes saw Stuart Broad take the wickets of both openers, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, who (along with Steve Smith) were returning to the Test format for the first time since their suspension for a ball-tampering incident in 2018. Warner was the first gone, leg before wicket in the fourth over, while Bancroft was caught behind just four overs later. Despite the early breakthrough, all was not tidy for England as James Anderson, recovering from an injury, bowled only four overs in the session, and while he came back onto the field, it was reported at the lunch interval that he was suffering from tightness in his right calf, and he left the field for a scan in the afternoon. Usman Khawaja was given out after drinks thanks to a review, caught by Bairstow off a thin edge. Despite this setback, Steve Smith and Travis Head managed to hold on until lunch, leaving Australia 83/3 at the break.
The first hour after lunch saw the fall of four wickets, due to good efforts by Broad and Woakes, with Head the first to go, leg before wicket to Woakes after a not out decision was referred to the third umpire, the fourth-wicket partnership having stood for 64 runs. Matthew Wade was the next man in, but he was soon dismissed in similar fashion. Tim Paine was caught at deep square leg after a "horror shot", and James Pattinson fell two balls later for a duck, leaving Australia 112/7 at the end of the 40th over. Pat Cummins fell shortly thereafter with the total at 122, but Australia scampered through to tea at 154/8, Smith unbeaten on 66.
The final session's start was delayed by 20 minutes because of the weather. Peter Siddle and Smith then shared an 88-run partnership, before Siddle was dismissed six runs short of a half-century. Smith then managed to keep the strike for the better part of a dozen overs, reaching a century in the process as the fielders were spread out on the boundary, but he was dismissed with the first over of the new ball, having reached 144 runs on his return to Test cricket, lifting Australia to a respectable 284 all out after being 122/8, with Nathan Lyon unbeaten on 12.
This left England's openers two overs to navigate before the close of play, which they batted out to a score of 10 without loss.
Day two The morning of the second day saw the wicket of Jason Roy fall, caught behind in the slips off a delivery from Pattinson. Joe Root and Rory Burns managed to play out the rest of the session without loss, despite a scare after drinks, as Root was beaten by a ball that hit his off stump but failed to dislodge the bails; he was initially given out after the ball was caught behind, but a review showed the only contact was with the stump. This left England on 71/1 at the break, wearing down Australia's bowlers but getting little return for their troubles in terms of runs.
After lunch, both English batsmen piled on the runs on a pitch that was becoming more batsman-friendly. Root was then given out leg before wicket to Siddle, but the review this time showed he made contact, and the on-field decision was overturned. Burns soon reached a half-century, Root following suit shortly afterwards. He was finally out caught and bowled to Siddle before tea, having stood for a 132-run third-wicket partnership. The new man in, Joe Denly, stuck around until the end of the session, England reaching 170/2 with Burns 18 runs away from a maiden Test century.
The evening session saw the umpires decide to replace the ball after the 60th over. The replacement ball saw off Denly and Buttler, England now 194/4. A few overs later, Burns reached his century, becoming the first English opener to score a hundred in the first Test of an Ashes series since Graham Gooch in 1993. Burns and Ben Stokes survived the remainder of the extended final session, building a 73-run partnership, as Travis Head and Matthew Wade were brought in to bowl a few overs before the new ball, which claimed no victims by the close of play; England were 267/4, trailing Australia by 17 runs.
Day three As play resumed on the third morning, England caught up to Australia's total, Stokes reaching a half-century before edging to the wicket-keeper on the next ball he faced from Cummins, the fifth wicket having stood for 88 runs. Shortly after drinks, Nathan Lyon was the next man to strike for Australia, taking Burns' wicket and dismissing Moeen Ali for a duck in the same over. Bairstow was out to Siddle in the next over, Australia having taken three wickets in the space of 11 balls. Woakes and Broad survived the half-hour left until lunch to put England on 328/8, the game in the balance as Australia had limited their first-innings deficit to only 44 runs at that point.
During the break, there was good news for England, as it was confirmed that Anderson, injured on the first day, would be able to bat, and had bowled in the nets during the interval. Broad and Woakes built a 65-run partnership, surviving until drinks, after which Broad was caught on a short delivery from Cummins. Anderson came in to bat, but made just three runs, England all out for 374 (a lead of 90), leading to an early tea interval. Concerns over Anderson's fitness were again apparent as he "wasn't moving well between the wickets", and when the teams returned to the field for the final session, he was absent.
With 44 overs scheduled, the evening session began with the early wicket of Warner, after a review saw him caught behind off Broad in the third over; his aggregate total of 10 runs for the match was his third-lowest in Tests when batting twice. Ali was the next to strike, removing Bancroft and almost getting Khawaja in the same over, only for the latter to be dropped by Jos Buttler at second slip. Khawaja was finally out off Ben Stokes' second ball, having stood for a 48-run third-wicket partnership with Smith, who again looked in top form despite being struck by a bouncer later on, which prompted the intervention of team doctors in light of new concussion protocols. Bad light stopped play just after 6 p.m., 31 overs having been bowled, with Australia 124/3 at the close, leading by 34 runs with Smith unbeaten on 46 and Travis Head also contributing 21 runs to the total.
Day four The following morning saw a good session for Australia as Smith and Head put up a century partnership before drinks, Smith already with a half-century. England's potential chase became more and more uncomfortable throughout the session, despite a few scares for the batsmen. Head fell just before lunch, having put up a half-century of his own in the 130-run fourth-wicket stand. England's bowling attack, lacking Anderson, who was out of it for the remainder of the match, did not pick up another wicket by the interval and Australia were in a strong position at 231/4, having extended their lead to 141 runs, and Smith two runs short of a second century in the match.