Five Ashes Charts: The numbers that show how Australia got the upper hand over England

TThe Ashes are over and the autopsy has begun. Some might point to a lack of preparation, uneven pitches or a Noosa bow mid-tour for England’s failures, and wonder what would have happened if just one or two chances had been taken.

But in a series they won quickly and then – despite an MCG blip – Australia did enough in a big way to retain the urn. Age is catching up with many members of Pat Cummins’ team, but their time has not yet come. This summer, on the other hand, was remarkable for the historic brilliance of the home side’s senior players.

Head turning

Travis Head’s total of 629 runs was over 200 higher than that of the next most prolific batsman, Joe Root, and the Australian amassed them in just 720 balls – just 34 more than the Englishman, despite the gap in runs. Only seventeen batters have ever scored more runs in an Ashes series, and only six have done so in the last forty years. No one has done this, with Head’s success rate being 87.

Goodbye Bazbal

While his accusations were happy to wave away, England captain Ben Stokes was unusual in his apparent rejection of attacking cricket. Stokes has never been as explosive as Ben Duckett and Harry Brook. However, his brave but labored and ultimately futile resistance in the first innings of the decisive Adelaide Test, where he scored 83 off 198, was the tombstone atop Bazball’s grave.

Starc difference

Mitch Starc started the series with a bang, sending Crawley back to the sheds in the first over of the series in Perth, on his way to taking seven wickets in the innings. Things only went from there and Starc finished the Ashes with 31 wickets at a slightly better clip than Mitchell Johnson’s legendary Ashes of 2013-2014.

Smit marches on

Steve Smith became the second most prolific run-scorer in Ashes history, overtaking legendary English cricketer Jack Hobbs. Smith’s run included three not-outs in low-scoring matches and a hundred on his home ground in Sydney.

Carey imperious

Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey finished the series with 27 catches and one stumping – just one dismissal behind Brad Haddin’s Test record. Carey received praise for his agility and skill in standing up to the stumps even when faced with fast bowling. This proved to be an important strategic counterbalance to England’s aggressive playing style, making it much riskier for their batters to play outside the crease.