As Ben Stokes leads his team to Australia this winter in a bid to reclaim the coveted urn, it marks the latest chapter in the 143 year old rivalry between England and Australia in cricket’s greatest battle. Our special edition (on sale now) – Ashes Legends – is sure to get you in the mood for the upcoming clash.
The Ashes has given us countless memories, remarkable performances with bat and ball, and has seen the rise of many legends over the decades. Who could forget Ian Botham’s onslaught against Dennis Lillee in 1981, hitting a flurry of sixes after telling his batting partner Graham Dilley ‘Let’s give it some humpty’, and then taking five wickets for one run to win another epic Test match.
The unforgettable summer of 2005 saw Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen take on Shane Warne. More recently, Ben Stokes’ incredible 135 not out to secure victory at Headingley in 2019 was hailed as ‘the greatest innings in cricket history’. We can even look back to Harold Larwood’s face-off with Don Bradman in the early 1930s and the Bodyline controversy. These incidents, along with numerous other controversies, disputes and scandals, have only added to the allure of this age-old showdown.
The sport has given rise to national heroes – Botham, Flintoff, KP, Bob Willis, John Snow, Ray Illingworth on one side, with Lillee, Warne, Ian and Greg Chappell, Jeff Thomson and Allan Border leading the charge for those donning baggy green caps. There have also been some unexpected success stories.
David Steele, a bespectacled, grey-haired man who was likened to a ‘bank clerk going to work’, was sent out at 33 years old in 1975 to face the formidable fast bowling duo of Lillee and Thomson. Richard Ellison, instantly recognisable by his mop of curly hair, was an unlikely hero, taking 17 Australian wickets in just two games to secure victory in the 1985 showdown. His cricketing career may not have been extensive, but he certainly had his moment.
Gary Pratt, a relatively unknown figure, gained fame as the substitute fielder who ran out Ricky Ponting in 2005, triggering an extraordinary outburst from the Australian captain. Australia too had their own unsung heroes turned match-winners. Bob Massie may have only played six Tests, but in one of them, he took a record-breaking 16 wickets at the home of cricket.
David Boon is as well-known for his drinking antics on the flight from Sydney to Heathrow in 1989 as for anything he achieved as a batsman that summer or throughout the 1990s. And let’s not forget the characters that the sport has produced. Thomson, the bloke hauled from a Sydney shoreline to unleash havoc upon English batsmen; Warne, exceptional player, remarkable individual; Botham, cricket’s ultimate champion. Yet arguably the finest of them all remains Merv Hughes.
All embodied a philosophy of grafting intensely during matches whilst celebrating vigorously afterwards, which formed part of their appeal to everyday supporters. Stuart Broad, alongside Douglas Jardine decades earlier, transformed into Australia’s most despised figure.
Broad earned this status by declining to depart after nicking the ball to Michael Clarke in the slips, whilst Jardine faced condemnation for the notorious Bodyline approach during the early 1930s. “There’s something about playing Australia that brings out the juices,” said Broad.
Buy your special now and have it delivered directly to your door. Alternatively, you can purchase in most supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents in the UK from October 15, 2025.