The Ashes 2015: Series Player ratings - England

The Ashes 2015: Series Player ratings – England: So finally the delight, exhilaration and ecstasy of the Ashes 2015 has came to an end. This time around the beloved Urn is back in England as they have won the series 3-2. They have regained the Ashes after getting whitewashed in 2013/14 in Australia. Now, with the passing time the fate of each and every Test series seems to be determined by the conditions. Generally teams play like lions at home and cubs abroad. The same Australian team which had dominantly triumphed at home has once again lost the Ashes series in UK.

Though the score line suggest that it was a close series but certainly that was not the case as England dominated the series after the Lord’s Test and secured an inaccessible lead of 3-1 after the 4th Test match at Trent Bridge.

Here is The Ashes 2015: Series Player ratings – England:

1.  Alastair Cook – 5/10

The English skipper Alastair Cook who had regained his form against the Black Caps didn’t fare as well as he would have liked in the Ashes series. Though Cook did a fantabulous job on the captaincy front and his rejuvenated tactics paid off. He scored 330 runs in the series at an average of 36.66 with 2 half-centuries. Throughout the series Cook got starts but he couldn’t convert it into a big score.

2. Adam Lyth – 2/10

The English opener Adam Lyth was one of the disappointments for the side in the otherwise successful Ashes campaign. Since the retirement of Andrew Strauss England has not been able to find a quality opener. Lyth scored 115 runs at an average of 12.77 and didn’t cross the 50 run mark even once. After every match there were questions on his place in the side but the English team persisted with him throughout the series.

3. Gary Ballance – 3/10

Gary Ballance endured a horrific run this summer. He featured in 2 Ashes Test matches and scored 98 runs at an average of 24.50 with 1 half-century. After the 2^nd Ashes Test he was dropped from the side and replaced by Jonny Bairstow. Generally he has been found frozen on the crease. His backward movement at the crease has been scrutinized by many cricket experts.

4. Ian Bell – 4/10

Ian Bell didn’t have the best of the series and there was a time in the series when his career was on the line. But, somehow he secured his place in the side as he scored back-to-back half-centuries in Edgbaston. But apart from that Test match, he had a poor series. In 5 Tests he scored 215 runs at a below par average of 26.87 with 3 half-centuries.

5. Joe Root – 9/10

The English batter Joe Root continued his merry run with the bat and ended the series as the leading run-scorer for his side. Root played crucial innings of 134 and 130 runs in the Cardiff and Trent Bridge Test respectively. Once again he emerged as the batting protagonist of the side. In 5 Tests he accumulated 460 runs at an average of 57.50 with 2 centuries and similar no. of half-centuries.

6. Jonny Bairstow – 4/10

The Yorkshire batsman Jonny Bairstow was drafted in the English squad in place of Gary Ballance after they miserably lost the 2^nd Ashes Test at Lord’s. Though he was in red-hot form in the English county cricket but he couldn’t replicate the same magic in the Ashes series. In 3 Tests he hammered 118 runs at an average of 29.50 with 1 half-century.

7. Ben Stokes – 4.5/10

The English all-rounder Ben Stokes was expected to turn up the heat in the Ashes 2015. But certainly that was not the case. Stokes was hot and cold throughout the series. In the first three innings of the series he piled up scores of 52, 42 and 87 but after that he lost his touch with the bat. Overall he scored 201 runs in the series at an average of 28.71 with 2 half-centuries. Ben also took 11 wickets in the series which included a six-fer in 2^nd innings of Trent Bridge Test.

8. Jos Buttler – 2/10

The English Wicket-keeper batsman Jos Butler suffered slump in form in this Ashes series. Though England regained the beloved Urn but for Jos Buttler it was a series which he would like to forget. In 5 Test matches he scored only 122 runs at a poor average of 15.25. But he had a very good outing behind the stumps and took some crucial catches throughout the series.

9. Moeen Ali – 6.5/10

Moeen Ali was one of the understated heroes of the series. Throughout the series he contributed crucial runs for the side while batting at no.8 position. Even with the ball he took decisive wickets as and when the team was in dire situation. He amassed 293 runs at an average of 36.62 with the bat while he also grabbed 12 scalps in the 5-match Test series. Ali fared well as the spinning all-rounder of the side and his contributions came at crucial juncture of times.

10. James Anderson – 5/10

James Anderson featured only in the first 3 Ashes Tests as a side-strain injury ruled him out from the reminder of the series. Anderson’s moment of glory came at the Edgbaston Test when he tore apart the Australian batting in the 1^st innings with his six-fer in which he once again reminded why he is rated so highly as a swing bowler. Overall, he grabbed 10 scalps in the series.

11. Stuart Broad – 9/10

Right from the beginning of the series Broad looked in great rhythm without getting much of rewards. But who can forget his menacing spell in the Trent Bridge Test match. Broad ran through the Australian batting line-up in the 1^st innings as Australia got bundled out for a mere total of 60 runs. He took 21 wickets in 5 Tests and ended up as the leading wicket-taker of the series.

12. Steven Finn – 7.5/10

Steven Finn made a strong comeback in the national side and endured a good series with the red cherry in hand. In the Edgbaston Test match he took 8 wickets which included a six-fer in the 2^nd innings which completely derailed the Australian innings. Overall Finn took 12 wickets in the series.

13. Mark Wood – 6/10

Mark Wood has been the breath of fresh air in the English bowling line-up and his prodigal talents with the ball has already won him many fans. He bowled well throughout the series and supported the likes of Broad and Finn by maintaining the pressure from the other end. He bagged 10 wickets in 4 matches.