The Ashes History of Australia
Australia have the edge over England when it comes to the number of Ashes Test Matches that have been won and also the Ashes series. They are renowned for wearing a green cap and are nicknamed the Baggy Greens, with a debutant receiving a cap before making his first appearance on the field.
At the time of writing, the Aussies have won 34 of the 72 Test Series’ that have been played, with the team from Down Under claiming 140 victories from the 340 that have been contested. They have seen legendary figures such as Sir Donald Bradman help them land sequences of triumphs along the way.
The Australians were made to suffer in the early stages of The Ashes rivalry, with the team coming off worse in the first eight editions of the competition. They lost the very first series by a 2-1 scoreline and continued to be pipped home and away until the 1891-92 series when they finally broke their duck.
That series was when the competition became fondly known as The Ashes and the name has stuck ever since. However, England were able to win the next three Test Series’ before Australia then secured a block of four victories to really start making things competitive.
There have been a number of other winning streaks and most notably between 1989 and 2002 where the Baggy Greens were able to rack up eight consecutive Ashes victories as they continued to produce excellent players who would hold the Indian sign over England.
Who Holds the Ashes Records for Australia?
Sir Donald Bradman was active in Ashes Tests between 1928-1948, with the legendary cricketer continuing to sit top of the pile when it comes to runs scored. He managed to notch 5,028 runs in 63 innings and that included nineteen centuries. He achieved a highest score of 334 runs and perhaps his record will never be broken.
Other notables on the top run scorer list for Australia are Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Steve Smith, the latter of whom continues to be active. Border was able to score 3,222 runs between 1978-1993, with the batsman managing an average of 55.55. Meanwhile, Waugh was close behind with 3,173 runs and that came with a slightly superior average of 58.75.
Smith has the capacity to go second in the standings and he has already passed the 3,000 run mark at the time of writing. His average of 59.68 includes eleven centuries and eleven fifties.
When it comes to the top Australian wicket takers in The Ashes, there are some familiar names at the top of the list and that includes Shane Warne. The brilliant spin bowler achieved 195 wickets between 1993-2007, with the legend achieving a ten-wicket haul on four occasions.
Glenn McGrath was often his partner in crime and the fast bowler was able to secure 157 wickets during a very similar time period. He has an impressive average of 20.92 and helped Australia rule supreme during the 1990’s.
