The Ashes: 10 moments, little and large, that decided the series | Rob Smyth

While Steve Smith’s Brisbane century and Mitchell Starc’s wonderball to James Vince in Perth were defining images, there were other moments that were more subtle yet just as pivotal to the early return of the urn

The Ashes isn’t always about the actual cricket. The most significant moment of the epic 2005 series came during a game of touch rugby, when Glenn McGrath stood on a stray cricket ball and was injured on the morning of the second Test. In 2017, the England players’ apparently harmless decision to have a few beers in Bristol after an ODI victory over West Indies had unimaginable consequences. Ben Stokes may not have made much difference but we will never know for sure what happened in that parallel universe.

Related: Don’t blame Ben Stokes for England’s Ashes defeat – Australia are simply better | Vic Marks

Related: Trevor Bayliss insists he is still the right man for England despite Ashes defeat

Continue reading...