An Ashes for the ages: How the dramatic 2023 series unfolded

If the 2025 Ashes are anything like the 2023 edition then we are in for an absolute treat.

The contest in England two years ago started with a four and ended in a 2-2 draw, while the action in between included debated declarations, contentious stumpings, extreme pace bowling, oodles of rain and Stuart Broad bowing out in box-office fashion.

Ahead of this winter's tussle in Australia, let's reflect on the Ashes for the ages in 2023…

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First Test, Edgbaston - Australia won by two wickets

Crack. That was the sound off the bat as Zak Crawley bludgeoned Pat Cummins' first ball through the covers to kick off a series that had everything - apart from a winner.

Ben Stokes looked utterly dumbfounded after Crawley's boundary, the same expression some may have had on their faces when Stokes opted to declare late on day one with the hosts, chiefly through Joe Root's fourth Ashes century (all of which have come at home, as the Aussie media are always quick to point out), on 393-8.

Stokes' aggressive call was slammed by some - Kevin Pietersen included - but it did make sense, exposing Australia openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja to a tricky little period before stumps. When the tourists came through that unscathed and ultimately won the game, the declaration was an easy stick to beat England with.

In truth, England lost mainly because of slip-ups in the field - Broad bowling Khawaja off a no-ball before he went on to make 141 was a clutch moment, as was Stokes being unable to acrobatically catch Nathan Lyon on two - and Cummins keeping his cool to guide Australia over the line, adding an unbroken 55 with Lyon from 227-8.

Second Test, Lord's - Australia won by 43 runs

Lord's, where there is a quiet hum, bacon-and-egg blazers and the sounds of champagne being uncorked and glasses being clinked. Yet, the genteel 'Home of Cricket' became akin to a bearpit on the fifth and final day of this Test, with MCC members involved in an unsavoury altercation with Australia players at lunch.

The hostilities in the Long Room - for which three members were suspended, one for life - stemmed from Alex Carey stumping Jonny Bairstow after the England batter had dawdled out of his crease.

England were outraged, questioning whether the spirit of cricket, ever such a nebulous term, had been breached, although most pundits believed Bairstow had simply been punished for doziness.

That was something the hosts had been guilty of earlier in the game - in addition to further fielding errors - when their relentless attacking of the short ball triggered a collapse from 188-1 and gifted Australia a first-innings lead of 91.

What was especially galling for home fans was that this chin music from Australia's attack had been a last resort, with off-spin maestro Lyon having torn his calf in the field and the tourists running out of ideas as to how to make a breakthrough.

After Lyon bravely hobbled to the crease to bat in Australia's second dig on day four - his last act of the series - Stokes kept England alive on day five with a spirited century, bringing back memories of his match-winning Ashes ton at Leeds four years before.

However, Stokes eventually fell for 155, caught by pantomime villain Carey off the metronomic Josh Hazlewood and England lost, before we all had a nice long chat about that Bairstow stumping.

Even respective Prime Ministers Rishi Sunak and Anthony Albanese had their say on an incident an enraged Aussie-baiter extraordinaire Broad said was all Carey would ever be remembered for. Spoiler alert - those two would cross paths again later in the series…

Third Test, Headingley - England won by three wickets

Two-nil down with three to play - on the brink, in other words - England called for the cavalry, with speed demon Mark Wood and 'The Wizard' Chris Woakes drafted in for their first appearances of the series. What a move that turned out to be…

Wood bowled rockets, north of 95mph, en route to a five-for and then pounded 24 off just eight balls to help England, for whom Stokes scored 80, rally from 87-5 to 237 all out, a deficit of just 26. After Australia's second innings, in which Wood bagged two more scalps and Woakes took his match haul to six, England's ask was 251.

At 131-3, the home side looked odds-on. But when that became 171-6, Australia appeared on course for 3-0. But Harry Brook's 75 chipped away at the target and when he fell with 21 needed, Woakes (32no) and Wood (16no) steered the hosts home - Woakes smearing Mitchell Starc through point to keep the Ashes alive.

Fourth Test, Emirates Old Trafford - Match drawn

The underlying image of this game was a glum Stokes perched on the England balcony as the Manchester rain washed away his team's hopes of setting up an Oval decider. Even the most biased Australia supporter would accept the visitors dodged a bullet.

No play was possible on the final day, which was due to begin with Australia 214-5 in their second innings and still trailing England by 61 having been utterly outplayed to that point. Marnus Labuschagne's second-innings 111 was a rare bright spot. Without it, the Baggy Greens would probably have lost on a rain-hampered day four.

As Australia toasted an Ashes retention and talk turned to whether Tests should have reserve days and whether we could have played to 10pm to get the overs in, England's dominance earlier in the match was easy to forget. But it shouldn't have been.

Man-of-the-Series Chris Woakes (not bad for a fella who only played three games) bowled like a god again for a first-innings five-for and Wood's dizzying pace proved too much for Khawaja, Steve Smith and Travis Head in the second.

Between Woakes and Wood's bowling incisions, Zak Crawley spanked 189 from 182 balls as he showed just why England keep faith with him around regular low scores, while Bairstow (perhaps still smarting from that Lord's stumping and definitely smarting from criticisms of his wicketkeeping) smoked 99 not out from 81 balls as Stokes' men looted 592 inside 108 overs.

Only the rain prevented England from making it 2-2 at that point.

Fifth Test, The Kia Oval - England won by 49 runs (series ends 2-2)

England's win at The Oval to see the series end in a 2-2 belonged to one man, Broad.

Brook's 91-ball 85 in the first innings and Root's 106-ball 91 in the second reduced to mere footnotes as Broad bowed out from Test cricket in style with a match-winning salvo on the final day.

Having announced his impending retirement at the conclusion of day three, Broad was first greeted by an Australian guard of honour on the fourth morning before one final flourish with the bat, smashing what would prove to be his last ball faced in cricket for six over deep square-leg.

With Australia set 384 to clinch a first series win in England in 22 years, the hosts were in need of inspiration as a Smith half-century - dropped by Stokes on 39 - had the visitors well-placed at 264-3 on the final afternoon.

Woakes and Moeen Ali firstly turned the tide when combining to take four wickets in as many overs, including the former claiming the key scalp of Smith (54), before Broad fittingly took centre stage to finish things off.

Ever the master of the dark arts, having rearranged Labuschagne's bails immediately prior to his first-innings dismissal to Wood, Broad repeated the trick before dismissing Todd Murphy for the first of his two wickets on the final day.

Carey quickly followed, Broad's 604th in Test cricket - 153 of those coming in the Ashes, to trail only Shane Warne (195) and Glenn McGrath (157) - as England clinched a memorable 49-run win, with Broad leading the team off in emotional scenes in south London.

Ashes series in Australia 2025/26

All times UK and Ireland

• First Test: Friday November 21 - Tuesday November 25 (2.30am) - Optus Stadium, Perth
• Second Test (day/night): Thursday December 4 - Monday December 8 (4.30am) - The Gabba, Brisbane
• Third Test: Wednesday December 17 - Sunday December 21 (12am) - Adelaide Oval
• Fourth Test: Thursday December 25 - Monday December 29 (11.30pm) - Melbourne Cricket Ground
• Fifth Test: Sunday January 4 - Thursday January 8 (11.30pm) - Sydney Cricket Ground