England's third in a row

Since England’s humbling 5-0 series defeat at the hands of Australia in the 2013/14 Ashes series, a cloud has hung over the side that only recently, with impressive displays against New Zealand, has started to shift.

A dismal World Cup earlier this year undid some of the good work that appeared to have been gained with a Test series win over India in 2014.

Peter Moores was sacked – again – and uncertainty reigned over England’s future, in terms of their coach, the playing personnel and their approach to the game.

How different it all was two years ago. In 2013 it was the touring Australians who were battling with their own identity crisis.

It was their coach, Mikey Arthur, who was sacked, just 16 days before the start of the Ashes having been unable to address discipline issues in the Aussie camp that had plagued the latter part of his tenure.

During a 4-0 series drubbing in India, vice-captain Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson, James Pattinson and Usman Khawaja, were dropped from the third Test of the tour for failing to submit presentations on team strategy. The ‘homework-gate’ story was a godsend for the British press and Australia were a laughing stock.

The incident had Watson in particular, doubting his international future, and matters weren’t helped when a wounded Arthur post-sacking, alleged Clarke had called the all-rounder a cancer on the team.

Further gaffs included a suspension for David Warner after he punched England’s Joe Root following a Champions Trophy defeat earlier that summer, plus a poorly-timed press release from Cricket Australia celebrating the success of the Big Bash, hours after a 347-run humiliation in the second Test at Lord’s.

Let’s rewind back to the first Test at Trent Bridge though. Unlike the one-sided affair which followed it, this game had drama and controversy aplenty.

With Australia crumbling – as was expected with their shambolic build-up – to 117-9 in their first innings, 19-year-old debutant, Ashton Agar, smashed 98 from just 101 balls, before falling just shy of becoming the first ever number 11 to score a Test century.

His efforts gave Australia a 65-run first-innings lead, but a terrific hundred from Ian Bell – one of three for him in the series – and 65 from Stuart Broad helped England set an imposing 311-run target.

Broad should have been out for 37 though, with a thick edge to slip that he didn’t walk for. Despite being well within his rights to stick around, the move wasn’t well received by the Australians, nor some members of the media. It all added an extra edge to the series and made him a marked man for the tour of Australia later that year.

Australia appeared to be out of it at 174-6 but in scenes similar to Edgbaston in 2005, a last wicket partnership of 65 between Brad Haddin (71) and James Pattinson (25no) helped them creep to within 15 of victory.

But up stepped Jimmy Anderson though, to take his 10th wicket of the Test – on referral – and lead euphoric celebrations.

Looking back, the series perhaps needed an Australian win in that first Test, as another Bell hundred, 180 from Root and nine wickets for Graeme Swann at Lord’s gave England a commanding 2-0 lead which they controlled from there.

That’s all England did though, was play controlled cricket. They never dominated proceedings in the final three Tests and allowed an Australian side to feel much better about themselves ahead of the return series that winter.

Clarke responded to his critics with an imperious 187 in a rain-affected third Test at Old Trafford, but was unable to captain his side to the win that would have brought them back into the series.

England were stubborn, using up 39 overs to score just 64 runs in their first innings in fact, before the arrival of Kevin Pietersen and a terrific 113 from him helped put some gloss on an otherwise drab draw.

The Chester-le-Street crowd were grateful for a much more gripping contest for their first ever Ashes Test. In another low-scoring affair, Chris Rogers, who deservedly scored his first Test century, and Ian Bell – adding another ton for the series – stood out.

England once again had just edged themselves ahead, despite seven second-innings wickets for the ever-impressive Ryan Harris, setting Australia 299 to win.

But Rogers, again looking solid at the crease, and Warner, with a brisk 71, put on a century partnership and looked to be setting the tourists up for their first win of the series, until Stuart Broad had one of those spells…

Swann got the ball rolling with two wickets, before Tim Bresnan added the vital third of Warner. It was all Broad from then on though, picking up 5-21 in an eight over burst that was only interrupted as the light faded on day four and the spinners came on.

When Broad returned he took the final wicket of Peter Siddle, to take his tally to 11 for the match and give England a 74-run win.

At The Oval, Watson (176) and Steve Smith (138) notched maiden Ashes hundreds as the tourists dominated a slightly unfamiliar England bowling attack, with Chris Woakes and Simon Kerrigan handed debuts.

Kerrigan in particular wasn’t allowed to settle as Watson savaged him for six boundaries and 28 runs from his first two overs in Test cricket. The Lancastrian legspinner would bowl only six more in the match.

But despite such Australian dominance for the first few days, it was England who came closest to the win.

A washout on day four meant England were still midway through their first innings at the start of the final day and the game was heading for a draw. But dismissed shortly after the lunch interval, Australia scored a quick-fire 111 in 23 overs to set England a sporting 227 to win on the final afternoon, desperate to land their first win of the series.

England were making light work of the chase, with Pietersen smashing a 55-ball 62, until bad light ended the Test early much to everyone, bar Clarke’s, disappointment.

Not quite 4-0 then, but still England’s most emphatic Ashes win for some time, yet the joyous scenes on The Oval outfield would be short-lived.