The 2017/18 Ashes series down under proved to be a one-sided campaign which saw hosts Australia dominate in all departments of the game and each and every Test. The Oz showed great determination to reclaim the Ashes they had lost in 2015. They won the series 4-0, making their opponents look ordinary at times. England’s batting proved to be their Achilles heel and often led to them losing key moments of the game. In the end, it was just a matter of who wanted the Ashes more – and in this case, it was clearly the Australians. England vs Australia, Ashes 2019 Schedule With Match Time in IST For Free PDF Download: Full ENG vs AUS Test Series Time Table, Fixtures and Venue Details.

Let us look back at the highlights of the five-Test series.

1st Test –Australia vs England – Brisbane – Australia won by 10 wickets

England having won the toss decided to bat first and got off to a decent start with their middle-order led by James Vince performing well. The visitors got 303 onboard while Australia managed a 25 run lead thanks to Steve Smith’s hundred. The Aussies came charging at England in their second innings leading to a batting collapse with Mitchell Starc picking up three wickets. The poor show with the bat meant, Australia needed 170 runs to win which they got to without losing a single wicket. David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft Return to Australian Test Side As Selectors Name Squad for England vs Australia Ashes 2019 Series.

2nd Test – Australia vs England – Dec 2-6 2017 - Adelaide – Australia won by 120 runs

Youngster Shaun Marsh showed his true calibre on the biggest of the stage as his century helped the Oz reach 442/8 in the first innings. England were poor with the bat and could rarely match the quality attack by the home side’s bowlers particularly Nathan Lyon. Jimmy Anderson’s five wickets brought back some life on the game as the Australians were bundled out for 138 which meant England needed 354 runs to win the test. But another dramatic batting collapse left England all-out for 233 handing the hosts the game.

3rd Test – Australia vs England – Dec 14-18 2017 - Perth – Australia won by an innings and 41 runs

A wonderful partnership between centurions David Malan and Jonny Bairstow meant England put on 403 on the board batting first. In reply, Steve Smith continued from where he had left behind in Brisbane as he scored a magnificent double ton to take his side to a mammoth 662 runs. The pressure of falling 259 runs behind was always going to be a tall order for England and Josh Hazelwood’s five wickets ensured Australia won the game by 41 runs without having to bat again. Ashes 2019: Jofra Archer Named in England Squad for First Test; Ben Stokes Reappointed Vice-Captain.

4th Test – Australia vs England – Dec 26 -30 2017 – Match Drawn

After three successive defeats, England finally managed to stem the tie with a draw but the series was long gone. In response to Australia’s 327, English opener Alastair Cook who had a nightmare series so far stepped up with a fighting knock of 244*. England did manage to get 164 run lead but their run rate barely crawled over 3. This gave Australia the chance to stage a fighting comeback with Steve Smith’s century forcing a draw.

5th Test – Australia vs England – Jan 4-8 2018 – Sydney – Australia won by an innings and 123 runs

Australia’s dominant batting was the difference between the two sides again as the hosts piled on 649/7 in their reply to England’s 346. This brilliant display meant England’s defeat was inevitable and Pat Cummins chipped in with 3 wickets to help register an innings and 123-run win for Australia. The hosts thus won the series by a 4-0 margin with many brilliant individual performances.  Why is Ashes Series Called So? Know History Behind England vs Australia Test Series.

Australia enjoyed the upper hand in the last Ashes series and it will be interesting to see how England respond at home to reclaim the trophy from their arch-rivals.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 27, 2019 04:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).