United rivals- The all time best Ashes XI

United rivals- The all time best Ashes XI: Here we are at the doorsteps of a mouth watering clash. The Ashes by every parameter is one of the most anticipated and coveted bilateral rivalries in the world. The degree of tradition attached to it makes it a royal battle. The winner is obviously treated like a king and the looser is reminded of it deeds each time. You either perform or be ready to face the music. So why not have a little look as to who have made this rivalry so special and worth watching. Let us have an insight and try to figure out the best Ashes eleven of all time. Don’t be surprised if you do not find your favourite star here. A closer understanding would reveal why these men most certainly deserve a place in this dream eleven. Pour the port, pass the cheese and biscuits and enjoy best Ashes XI below: 1. Sir Jack Hobbs (England): Ashes statistics – Matches: 41. Runs: 3,636. Average: 54.26. Centuries: 12. Highest Ashes score: 187. Sir Jack Hobbs. (Photo Source: AllSport UK Ltd) Hobbs was England’s premier batsman for nearly 30 years following his Test debut in 1908. He plundered more runs than any other Englishman in the Ashes and is the most successful foreign batsman at both Melbourne and Adelaide. Three of his eight tons at the grounds came during his 1911-12 golden tour. The knocks, including his highest Test score of 187, came in successive matches, a feat he emulated in 1924-25. Sir Hobbs was a master and could deal with any delivery on every kind of wicket and came to the fore when times were toughest, relishing the challenge of a testing tracks. In his own words: “If I had to reply again to a question put to me well nigh 60 years ago – ‘What would you like to be?’ – The answer would still be the same: a cricketer. It’s a grand life.” Jack Hobbs was part of the most dominant opening pair, alongside Herbert Sutcliffe, in Ashes history. Also Read – Top 10 batsmen with most fours in Tests 2. Len Hutton (England): Ashes statistics – Matches: 27. Runs: 2,428. Average: 56.46. Centuries: Five. Highest Ashes score: 364. Sir Leonard Hutton. (© Getty Images) In the post-war era there was no more technically gifted English batsman than Len Hutton. In 1938 the Yorkshireman set a record in only his sixth Test appearance with the highest individual innings score in a Test, making 364 against Australia. That innings epitomised his peerless characteristics of concentration and application – he batted for almost two-and-a-half days as record after record tumbled. He averaged a remarkable 88.83 in the 1950-51 Ashes series down under, 50 more per innings than the next English batsman, and made 156 at Adelaide. Then the crowning glory of his career: retention of the urn in 1954-55 to seal his cricketing legacy as an England captain who lost only four of his 23 Tests leading his country. 3. Sir Don Bradman (Australia, captain): Ashes statistics – Matches: 37. Runs: 5,028. Average: 89.78. Centuries: 19. Highest Ashes score: 334. Sir Don Bradman. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Bradman stands a man apart in the world of cricket and is the first name on any all-time team sheet. Talk in sport often gravitates towards lengthy discussions about the best, but in cricket the focus is on second. Bradman was the most prodigious run-scorer ever and, although his average against England was lower than his legendary life-time Test mark of 99.94, it still exceeds all other batsmen. He was dropped after his debut against England in Brisbane in 1928-29, but following a first century on his return he never looked back and records made way, wherever he went. As captain, he never lost a series against England, culminating with the 1948 “Invincibles”, who finished their tour – Bradman’s last – unbeaten. In his own words: “When you play Test cricket, you don’t give the Englishmen an inch. Play it tough, all the way. Grind them into the dust.” He’s captain, and there are no vice-captains. It’s obvious – the great Don is at number three. 4. Wally Hammond (England): Ashes statistics – Matches: 33. Runs: 2,852. Average: 51.85. Centuries: Nine. Highest Ashes score: 251. Walter Hammond. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Strong-willed and strong-limbed, Hammond was so good that comparisons were frequently made with his Gloucestershire predecessor WG Grace. Wisden, known as the “Bible of Cricket”, talks about his physical prowess at the crease – “strongly-built, square-shouldered, deep-chested, with impressively powerful forearms” – and says he was so adept a sportsman that in the 21st century he would have become a football star. But it was wielding the willow where Hammond impressed himself on the minds of the cricketing world, especially Australian opponents. In the 1928-29 Ashes he scored almost exclusively within the ‘V’ between extra cover and mid-wicket, but could hook and pull with the best. He hit 905 runs in that 4-1 series win, still a record for an English cricketer. Hammond was also a useful quick bowler, with 732 first-class wickets – an added dimension that seals his inclusion in this side. His rivalry with The Don was infamous and very real, but for the Australian’s enviable record, Hammond would still top many pages in the record books today. In his own words: “Yeees!” (After making 336 v New Zealand and thereby beating Don Bradman’s record). He can’t be left out but four and five are incredibly difficult to select – there are so many deserving candidates. 5. Allan Border (Australia): Ashes statistics – Matches: 47. Runs: 3,548. Average: 56.31. Centuries: Eight. Highest Ashes score: 200*. Allan Border. (© Getty Images) 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. 6. Sir Ian Botham (England): Ashes statistics – Matches: 36. Runs: 1,673. Average: 29.35. Centuries: Four. Highest Ashes score: 149*. Best Ashes figures: 6-78. Sir Ian Botham. (Photo Source: Getty Images) If not the best all-rounder, “Beefy” is certainly the greatest match-winner – and nothing spurred him on, more than a Test against the old enemy. He proved a thorn in the sides of successive Australian skippers, dismissing both Kim Hughes and Allan Border a dozen times. And there was also Botham’s batting. Two of his four Ashes centuries came in 1981, when he was at his peak. Having resigned from the position of captain after bagging a pair at Lord’s, Botham turned the tide of the Headingley Test and, in turn, the series. He was a captain’s dream with bat and ball as well as being a towering presence in the slips, taking 57 of 120 Test catches against Australia. In his own words: “The Australian philosophy of ‘work hard, play hard’ has always appealed to me”. 7. Adam Gilchrist (Australia, wk): Ashes statistics – Matches: 20. Catches: 89. Stumpings: Seven. Runs: 1,083. Average: 38.68. Centuries: Three. Highest Ashes score: 152. Adam Gilchrist. (© Getty Images) With a career that straddled two centuries, Gilchrist was a cricketing contradiction, a revolutionary contemporary harking back to a bygone era. His swashbuckling batting style, reminiscent of amateur freedom and naivety, was coupled with a refreshing honesty in the modern game – he famously walked having not been given out in the 2003 World Cup semi-final. But he was a 21st century sports star in so many way, so destructive with the bat that he redefined the role of wicketkeeper batsman, effectively rendering specialist glovesmen obsolete in the modern era. In his first Ashes series in 2001, “Gilly” strode in at seven and belted 340 runs at a batting average of 68.00, as well as nabbing 26 dismissals. He cared not for his average, but for accelerating the run rate and forcing home Australia’s advantage. In 2006 he passed 5,000 Test runs, and later in the year hit an incredible 57-ball century in the third Ashes Test at Perth. With 416 dismissals behind the stumps, Gilchrist also tops the list of Aussie keepers ahead of Ian Healy and Rod Marsh. Adam Gilchrist is truly a revolutionary player, and an all-time Ashes great. In his own words: “The beauty of [Ashes] contests is you can never be sure who’s going to win.” Gilchrist has to find a place, though honourable mentions to Alan Knott and Rod Marsh who were titans of Ashes cricket, but Gilchrist certainly owns’ a place in the XI. 8. Shane Warne (Australia): Ashes statistics – Matches: 36. Wickets: 195. Average: 23.25. Economy: 2.52. Best Ashes figures: 8-71. Shane Warne. (© Getty Images) After decades of teams being filled with batteries of fast bowlers, Warne came on the scene, changing the face of cricket. His Ashes impact was immediate. One delivery, which was subsequently dubbed “Ball of the Century”, announced the arrival of the bottle-blonde extrovert. Warne’s first ball drifted outside leg before darting back to hit Mike Gatting’s off stump at Old Trafford in 1993. Gatting was dumbfounded, but can take solace in the fact that many others subsequently fell to Warne’s mastery, including 34 in that series. Warne frequently tormented England, spinning his team to victory in an era of sustained Australian dominance. His 708 Test victims places him second on the list of all-time wicket takers, 145 more than the nearest Australian and 325 more than the closest English player. In his own words: “My finest moment? Winning the 1993 Ashes. Enough said.” This is the easiest pick of the whole lot, except for the Don. 9. Harold Larwood (England): Ashes statistics – Matches: 15. Wickets: 64. Average: 29.87. Economy: 2.83. Best Ashes figures: 6-32. Harold Larwood. (Photo Source: The Cricketer International) Larwood’s name is inextricably linked with the Bodyline tour to Australia. However, the association devalues the Englishman’s standing as a Test bowler of the highest quality. His searing pace made him a threat in all conditions but although he enjoyed spells of great success, he also suffered, most notably at Australian hands in 1930. The bowler got his revenge two years on when Douglas Jardine saw the perfect intimidator weapon for the strategy of short-pitched, leg-side bowling in Larwood. He took 33 wickets in the series but injuries to Bill Woodfull and Bert Oldfield from short-pitched deliveries in Adelaide inflamed the public and authorities alike. On his return to England, Larwood was told to sign a letter of apology. The scapegoat refused and never played another Test. In his own words: “A cricket tour in Australia would be the most delightful period in your life, if you were deaf.” He is of course referring to the crowds and the chin music. 10. Dennis Lillee (Australia): Ashes statistics – Matches: 29. Wickets: 167. Average: 21.00. Economy: 2.47. Best Ashes figures: 7-89. Denis Lillee. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Lillee was an outstanding fast bowler of his generation, setting a new world record with a total of 355 Test wickets. With flailing hair and a bristling moustache, Lillee was a menacing maelstrom of momentum racing into the wicket before letting loose from a classical side-on delivery. He made his full Test debut against England during the following Australian summer, taking five wickets. His first seven matches were all Ashes encounters and on his first tour he made his name on the international stage with 31 wickets at under 18 apiece. He finished the 1972 tour with a 10-wicket match haul at The Oval – a feat he bettered by one on three occasions against England. The last came on the final tour in 1981 when, again at the Oval, he secured his best Ashes figures and finished the tour with 39 wickets – his best series return. 11. Glenn McGrath (Australia): Ashes statistics – Matches: 30. Wickets: 157. Average: 20.92. Economy: 2.70. Best Ashes figures: 8-38. Glenn McGrath. (Photo Source: AFP) Line and length.. Pace as well, but it was the metronomic, precise bowling of Australia’s opening seamer that set McGrath apart from the pack and wore down many an English batsmen. Possessing a once-described “Rolls Royce action”, McGrath sent English wickets flying for 13 high-class years during the height of Australia’s 1990s and 2000s dominance. A tall, lean man he gained pace and bounce to trouble most stroke-makers and his accuracy tempted many of England’s best into nicks that flew behind to be gathered by a grateful slip cordon. So crucial was his presence to the Australia attack that many attribute a freak injury suffered in the 2005 Ashes series – he stood on a ball while warming up – with derailing the visitors’ tour. McGrath has the most wickets by a pace bowler. He retired in January 2007 alongside Warne, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn after completing a 5-0 whitewash Ashes win – a result that compensated for his 2005 heartbreak. Also Read – Top 10 Most runs scored in an over in Tests Those who unfortunately missed out – Ricky Ponting, James Anderson, Brett Lee, Alastair Cook, Matthew Hayden etc. A look at these players is enough to guess the calibre of those who have made it ahead of them.