The Ashes 2019
2019 · 2 teams · Test cricket
Tournament Overview
Series Overview
The 2019 Ashes series in England will be remembered above all for two extraordinary performances: Steve Smith's summer of his life, and Ben Stokes' miracle at Headingley. Smith, returning from a 12-month ban, scored 774 runs across the series at an average of 110.57 — a performance that placed him among the all-time Ashes legends. His technique, concentration, and ability to absorb pressure from England's bowlers made him look like a batsman from a different era. Australia won the first Test at Edgbaston, but the series turned at Headingley. Australia needed just 73 more runs with two wickets in hand when Ben Stokes, supported by number eleven Jack Leach — who faced a single ball and scored one run — chased down England's target with an unbeaten 135*. It was one of the most astonishing Test innings ever played, executed under maximum pressure with cold-blooded precision. Australia responded by winning at Manchester to take a 2-1 lead and retain the urn, before England won the dead rubber at The Oval. The series also featured cricket history: Marnus Labuschagne came on as the first-ever concussion substitute in international cricket when Smith was struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord's. Labuschagne went on to score 353 runs in the series. Despite the drawn scoreline, Australia retained the Ashes — a bittersweet outcome for England that set the tone for Ben Stokes' eventual appointment as captain.
Key Highlights
- 1Steve Smith scored 774 runs at an average of 110.57 — among the greatest Ashes batting performances of all time
- 2Ben Stokes' unbeaten 135* at Headingley won the third Test in one of cricket's most astonishing finishes
- 3Jack Leach faced one ball, scored 1*, while Stokes hit the winning runs — an iconic partnership
- 4First use of a concussion substitute in international cricket — Marnus Labuschagne replaced Smith
- 5Australia retained the Ashes despite the series being drawn 2-2 — they held the urn from the 2017-18 tour