Australia retained the Ashes but were unable to secure a first series win in England since 2001 after Stuart Broad inspired the hosts to victory in the Fifth Test.
The Oval provided a fitting finale to Broad’s career, as he took the final two wickets to secure a 49-run victory and earn England a 2-2 draw in what has been a memorable series.
Here’s how both teams rated across the five Tests...
England
Zak Crawley 8.5
480 runs @ 53.33
At last, a breakthrough summer for the much-maligned opener, who was England’s top-scorer and most consistent batter. Took on the world’s best attack with a swagger and his 189 at Old Trafford was one of the great Ashes knocks. Caught brilliantly in the slips.
Ben Duckett 6.5
321 runs @ 35.66
One outstanding Test at Lord’s, where he narrowly missed out on a century in both innings. Failed to pass fifty in seven other knocks, but aggression at the top gave England impetus. For the first time in a decade, they have an opening pair that works.
Ollie Pope 3
90 runs @ 22.50
Made a couple of starts and got a couple of very good balls before shoulder injury curtailed series. Started England’s short-ball collapse at Lord’s with needless dismissal. Strangely, absence turned into a blessing, allowing Woakes into the side.
Joe Root 8
412 runs @ 51.50; 6 wickets @ 28.66
His most prolific Ashes series since 2015, started it with an unbeaten hundred and looked nailed on for centuries at both Old Trafford and Oval before falling to grubbers. Also played several vital hands with the ball and took the catch of the series, though wasteful in the slips early on.
Harry Brook 7
363 runs @ 40.33
A steep learning curve as he admitted his batting was “reckless” at Lord’s but improved markedly thereafter, the player to stand up in the Headingley chase. Missed out on a maiden Ashes hundred but will be around for a long time.
Ben Stokes 8
405 runs @ 45.00; 3 wickets @ 29.66
Contributions with the bat in all five Tests, playing the innings of this series in vain at Lord’s, then another vital one to keep England alive in Leeds. Out-captained Cummins by some margin, with declaration at Edgbaston the one blot. Bowled sparingly at the start of the series, then not at all, but still picked up a couple of key wickets.
Jonny Bairstow 6
322 runs @ 40.25
Made run-a-ball 78 to start the series, but poor behind the stumps in first three Tests, when errors cost England dear. Break between Third and Fourth Tests seemed to do some good and was excellent with bat after that, beached on 99 at Old Trafford. Keeping got better, too.
Moeen Ali 6
180 runs @ 25.71; 9 wickets @ 51.44
Summoned out of retirement to answer England’s spin SOS, but had trouble with blistered finger early and arguably his most important contribution was volunteering to go up the order to No3. That was until final day, when three wickets cracked game open.
Chris Woakes 9
19 wickets @ 18.14; 79 runs @ 19.75
Looked like Test career could be done when left out of Ireland game at start of summer, but has had an incredible impact in three Tests. Named player of the series after taking 19 wickets, including crucial ones on final day, and also saw Headingley chase home with the bat.
Mark Wood 8
14 wickets @ 20.21; 83 runs @ 20.75
Arrival at Headingley changed the complexion of the series, with 95mph spell there one of the summer’s highlights. Managed to get through three Tests on the spin and still effective despite clearly tiring. Some fine cameos with the bat.
Ollie Robinson 4
10 wickets @ 28.40; 59 runs @ 19.66
Got involved in plenty of the verbal jousting early on but didn’t manage to back it up, with pace down and then back spasm effectively ending his series midway through Headingley Test. Figures half-decent but struggled to threaten top order.
Stuart Broad 8.5
22 wickets @ 28.40; 78 runs @ 13.00
Simply getting through all five Tests was a remarkable feat by the 37-year-old, never mind delivering match-altering spells in four of them. Got his fairytale send-off, his final delivery as a cricketer clinching victory in an Ashes Test.
Josh Tongue 5
5 wickets @ 30.20; 20 runs @ 10.00
Impressed in his sole outing at Lord’s, when he got Smith in both innings, and probably should have played one of the final two Tests as well.
James Anderson 3
5 wickets @ 85.40; 28 runs @ 9.33
Tough to watch England’s greatest ever bowler toil like this. For whatever reason, things simply did not happen for Anderson this summer. Turned 41 at the weekend and is desperate to carry on but this felt like the beginning of the end.
Australia
Usman Khawaja 8
496 runs @ 49.60
Put historic struggles in England behind him to top the run-scoring charts and was the player who most epitomised the contrast of styles, facing twice as many balls as any home batter. Celebration of century at Edgbaston was one of the most joyous moments of the series.
David Warner 5.5
285 runs @ 28.50
On his final tour of England, improved on the disastrous series of four years ago, but still the poorest returns of any opener as he persistently got in and failed to go on, beyond a couple of half-centuries. Still, did enough to get through all five games. Largely reliable in the cordon.
Marnus Labuschagne 7
328 runs @ 36.44
A bit of a strange series. Made a few handy contributions early on while looking well short of his best but improved as series wore on and was superb at Old Trafford, scoring century that secured the Urn. Regressed at the Oval, though, when overly tentative.
Steve Smith 7.5
373 runs @ 37.29
An imperious hundred at Lord’s and looked in ominous touch at the start of several other knocks, particularly at the Oval, but no longer the immoveable force that toured England four years ago, coughing up a few lax dismissals.
Travis Head 7.5
362 runs @ 36.30; 2 wickets @ 46.00
Contributions in every Test, including a couple of momentum-shifters early in the series that gave England a taste of their own medicine. Had seemed to figure out a method against the short-ball, only for weakness to resurface at Old Trafford.
Cameron Green 4
103 runs @ 20.60; 5 wickets @ 47.00
Big things were expected coming into the series, but aside from some superb catching, didn’t have quite the impact he or Australia would have liked and ended up being dropped at the Oval. His time will come, though.
Mitchell Marsh 7.5
250 runs @ 50.00; 3 wickets @ 55.66
Recalled at Headingley after four years in the Test wilderness and played probably Australia’s best innings of the series in brutal century. Dug in at Old Trafford when Australia might have collapsed and had more joy against Crawley with the ball than most of specialist quicks.
Alex Carey 6
200 runs @ 20.22
So good with the gloves in the first half of the series but looked as if the Lord’s controversy got to him as the series wore on. Best batting display came in the First Test but returns tailed off badly after that.
Mitchell Starc 8.5
23 wickets @ 27.08; 82 runs @ 16.39
Australia’s best player and the series’ leading wicket-taker despite missing out on the opener at Edgbaston. New-ball spell at Lord’s was among the best of the series, as was delivery to Stokes at the Oval. Battled through the pain barrier after shoulder problem.
Pat Cummins 7.5
18 wickets @ 37.72; 162 runs at 23.14
A curious series after an excellent start, when he won the game at Edgbaston with the bat. Bowled some stunning spells but also expensive ones, looking jaded as series wore on. Ultimately, only the second Australian captain to bring the Urn back from England in 22 years but tactically suspect in the face of Bazball.
Nathan Lyon 5
9 wickets @ 29.33; 28 runs @ 9.33
Had series cruelly cut short by calf injury midway through Second Test but still finished as leading spinner after excellent show at Edgbaston. Showed so much heart to bat on one leg at Lord’s.
Todd Murphy 5
7 wickets @ 25.85; 76 runs @ 19.00
Huge shoes to fill after Lyon injury and captain did not give him much chance at Headingley before leaving him out at Old Trafford. Good at the Oval, though, where he showed his worth as a partnership-breaker and handy lower-order hitter.
Scott Boland 2
2 wickets @ 115.50; 20 runs @ 10.00
Destroyed England 18 months ago and looked Australia’s form bowler after the World Test Championship final, but was targeted by England’s batters and had no answer, rotated out of the side at Lord’s and then dropped permanently after Headingley.
Josh Hazlewood 6.5
16 wickets @ 31.68; 20 runs @ 6.66
Defied injury concerns to come through four of five Tests and while not quite the bowler that excelled here four years ago, still made important contributions, including effectively clinching Lord’s win with Stokes wickets. Got tenth Test five-for amid Old Trafford carnage.
