5 best bowling spells in Ashes history

After the conclusion of the World Test Championship (WTC) final, Australia and England will lock horns with each other to clinch the Ashes urn in the English summer of 2023. Currently, Australia are the holder of the Ashes but in the upcoming competition, the visitors will strive to retain the urn. On the other side, England’s endeavours will be to quench their thirst for winning the series after eight years. 

In the incredible Test competition to be played for one and a half months, bowlers of both teams will play a crucial role. On the grassy and fast pitches of England, pacers won’t miss a chance to take advantage of the conditions. While spinners will look to prove their skills on English surfaces that are the best known for spinners. However, in the past, bowlers have produced some solid performances in the Ashes, irrespective of the conditions. Going through 141 years of the Ashes, one can find some unprecedented bowling spells.

Talking more about a few of them, here are the five best bowling spells in the Ashes

5. Mitchell Johnson’s 7/40 at the Adelaide Oval in the 2013-14 Ashes

After dominating the Alastair Cook-led England at the Gabba in the first Test of the Ashes 2013-14, emboldened Mitchell Johnson assaulted England in the second match at the Adelaide Oval. In Australia’s enormous 218-run victory, Johnson picked up eight wickets and became the Player of the Match.

Riding on captain Michael Clarke’s 148 and Brad Haddin’s 118, the Aussies put up 570/9 on the board in the first innings after winning the toss. Leading Australia’s bowling attack from the front, Johnson tormented England with his ferocious pace bowling. In his second over of the match, Johnson removed the former England skipper, Alastair Cook. 

Later on in the game, he also took the important wickets of Ben Stokes and Matt Prior to break the back of England’s batting line-up. The speedster concluded his spell with 7/40 figures and riding on his bowling efforts, Australia took the lead of 398 runs in the first innings. Taking his confidence ahead, Johnson contributed one wicket in the second innings to help his side fold the visitors on 312 and win the game comfortably.