IN PICS | Top Moments from Ashes 2023 featuring Jonny Bairstow runout, Stuart Broad's retirement

Zak Crawley got the Ashes 2023 off to a great start with a four when he deposited Aussie skipper Pat Cummins. While England’s first innings of the Ashes started with a four, it was no different in their final innings as Crawley again got the better of his opposite number. Crawley got England’s second innings off to a great start with a four to make his mark on the series. 

Pat Cummins (44*) and Nathan Lyon (16*) resilient half-century partnership took Australia through in the Edgbaston Test in an intense phase of the game on Day 5. The contest that lasted until the final session of the match saw Aussie batters resist the England bowling attack to hand them their third defeat since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum took over in June 2022.

The incident happened on the last ball of the 52nd over of England's second innings in the second Test match. Bairstow had replaced Ben Duckett on the crease and was batting on 10 off 22. Cameron Green, who was the bowler, bowled a bouncer, to which the batsman had ducked under and let it go to the wicketkeeper. Aussie keeper Alex Carey, however, threw the ball at the stumps with an underarm throw. Bairstow, meanwhile, decided to leave the crease, presumably thinking that the play on that ball is over. The ball thrown by Carey hit the stumps and the Kangaroos jumped in unison to appeal.

England were on the receiving end of two narrow defeats at the start of the Ashes that saw them lose at Edgbaston and then at Lord’s. However, they were quickly able to bounce back and won the third Test in Headingley despite trailing at the end of the first innings. Stokes played a valiant knock of 155 runs in the Lord’s Test that England lose on final day. He would then play an important knock of 80 runs in the Headingley Test where they reduced the first innings deposit and would later win the match.

The fifth and final day's play of the Lord's Test saw plenty of action and drama. It all started with Jonny Bairstow's dismissal. The English wicketkeeper fell for 10 when he was caught wandering off the crease, off Cameron Green's delivery, and got stumped by Alex Carey in England's 371-run chase. The incident happened just before the lunch break as England were on the back foot in the final innings. As the players from both the camps entered the Long Room, the Aussies were targetted by the MCC members. Some of them hurled abuse towards the Australian players and things went out of hand when Usman Khawaja revealed that he was racially abused. Thus, swift action was taken and the MCC members involved in abusing Khawaja got suspended with immediate effect.

Veteran England star bowler Stuart Broad called time on his illustrious cricketing career after the final Test at the Oval. He announced on Day 3 of the Test that this will be his last match. The decision came as a surprise as he announced his decision while in conversation with the broadcaster in the post-match chat. He bid farewell to the game as the second-most successful bowler in England’s Test cricket history after James Anderson.