1930 was the "Summer of Bradman". He scored 974 runs in five matches with a highest score of 334 at Headingley. The series that put him on the path to greatness.
The tactic of “Bodyline” bowling was considered unsportsmanlike. Harold Larwood, following his captain’s orders to bowl short and direct the ball at the batsman’s body, helped fetch him 33 wickets in 1932-33. He never played Test cricket for England after this controversial series.
The England offspinner Jim Laker (right) took 46 wickets in 1956, bagging 19 of those in one match at Old Trafford.
The 1981 series was known as “Botham’s Ashes”. Giving up the England captaincy mid-series had a magical effect on Ian Botham (batting) as he scored 399 runs (two centuries) and took 34 wickets in six games. His best spell was 5 wickets for one run at Edgbaston.
In 1989, Mark Taylor scored 839 runs in six games with a highest of 219. He later went on to captain Australia in the 1990s.
Australia’s maverick legspinner Shane Warne bowled the “Ball of the Century” at Old Trafford in 1993. He took 34 wickets in five games. It was the series that truly was the making of Warne.
The star of the 2005 Ashes was Andrew Flintoff. His 402 runs and 32 wickets played a big part in helping England regain the Ashes after nearly 18 years.
Alastair Cook bossed the 2010-11 Ashes, as England won a series in Australia for the first time since 1987. Cook scored 766 runs in five games, with a highest of 235 at Brisbane.
In 2013-14, England were battered and bruised by the pace of Mitchell Johnson, who took 37 wickets with a best of 7 for 40. The result – 5-0 to Australia.