Statistics from the series
For the first time since the 1978-79 Ashes - a series blighted by Packer defections - Australia failed to muster 400 in any of their innings
At Trent Bridge Australia were made to follow on for the first time in 191 Tests.
Adam Gilchrist, World’s Most Dangerous Batsman™, with a career average of 52.64, finished with a series average of just 22.62.
Damien Martyn, with a career average of 47.96, finished with a series average of just 19.77 – worse than Warne, Lee and McGrath
Simon Jones, considered very much the fifth man in England’s five man bowling attack, discovered an unplayable reverse swing and finished top of the England bowling averages, with 18 wickets at 21.
Andrew Flintoff finished top England wicket-taker with 24, but crucially 18 of these were batsmen in Australia’s top seven.
Shane Warne finished with a superhuman 40 wickets, yet still lost the series. He took the first wicket in an England innings six times, showing both his personal greatness and the paucity of the Australia pace attack.
1 comment:
Thanks Ben.
It will be hard to topple that series: for sheer excitement and drama, for sporting excellence and sportamanship, and for the joy of beating Australia against all expectations and after so many years of misery and humiliation.
Were we to thrash them 5-0 two years from now, it wouldn't be as good as beating them for the first time in 18 years.
The great thing about a contest of five matches each lasting five days, is that the element of fluke is removed in a way that it isn't in other sports. If we got a hard-fought 2-1 win, it's because we deserved a hard-fought 2-1 win, and that makes it deeply satisfying.
I try not to dwell on the rather depressing notion that it's all downhill from here as far as sporting spectacle goes. Let's just be glad it happened, and look forward to a period of England ruling the world - an idea that would have been laughable a few short years ago.
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