United rivals- The all time best Ashes XI

5. Allan Border (Australia):

Ashes statistics – Matches: 47. Runs: 3,548. Average: 56.31. Centuries: Eight. Highest Ashes score: 200*.

The epitome of the Aussie battler, Border made his debut in 1978. By his retirement 16 years later he had set new marks for Test appearance, captaincy and scoring records. By 1981 he was a fixture in the Test team when he topped the batting averages on England tour, and four years later he returned as captain. Despite defeat in 1985, he enjoyed his best return with 597 runs. A further loss followed in 1986-87, when his side suffered the ignominy of becoming the first to follow-on at home to England. But that low point proved the catalyst for the period of dominance that Border ushered in. His team won the final Test and did not lose another Ashes encounter for more than six years – a run that was broken only in Border’s last Test in England.

In his own words: “No you can’t, what do you think this is – a tea party?” (When an England batsman asked Border, if he could have some water?). He was a very gutsy, though not always dominant, player. But he was a consistent, efficient run scorer, averaging over 50 in Ashes cricket. Plus we need a left-hander, so it’s simple. He was just fantastic – whenever he came into bat he just epitomised the Australian fighting spirit.