England vs Australia The Ashes 2013: Picking a Best XI of the Series

A Stuart Broad-inspired bowling performance led England to their third Ashes series win in a row, stealing victory from the Australians' grasp in the fourth Test at Durham.

Chasing 299 to win, the visitors—who had been in the ascendancy for much of the contest—fell away in dramatic fashion, losing their last seven wickets for just 60 runs.

With the urn already secured and a series win now wrapped up, it's time to analyse the very best performers of the series.

Here's a look at a 2013 Ashes Best XI, comprised of the leading performers of the series so far:

2013 Ashes Best XI

Alastair Cook 

Chris Rogers

Ian Bell

Kevin Pietersen

Michael Clarke (c)

Joe Root

Brad Haddin

Graeme Swann

Peter Siddle

Ryan Harris

James Anderson

In a series often dominated by the ball, picking the batsmen is the tougher ask, and a couple are rather fortunate to gain selection.

Chris Rogers has been the only opener to regularly fire this series. With 344 runs to his name, including a century and two 50s, the 35-year-old is an obvious pick at the top of the order

Alastair Cook squeezes in alongside him, keeping out Joe Root—on consistency—and David Warner on games played. The England captain has been uncharacteristically out of form this series but still battled his way past 50 on three occasions.

The No. 3 spot is the major issue, as neither Jonathan Trott nor Usman Khawaja have made 200 runs yet, and both average below 25. That's not going to get you selected here and is behind the logic of Ian Bell making a surprise early appearance.

Promoted to No. 3, where he's previously performed for England, the star man of the series—with three centuries and 500 runs—takes a more prominent place in this batting order.

Four and five are more straight-forward picks, as Kevin Pietersen and Michael Clarke have been in decent touch and have both added to their impressive haul of Test match centuries.

Clarke can even bat in his preferred position of five, while his more attacking brand of captaincy sees him take leadership of this team.

With none of Steve Smith, Shane Watson or Jonny Bairstow particularly imposing with the bat, Joe Root appears at No. 6, where he began his career for England.

Aside from his mammoth innings of 180, he's scored poorly this series, but has still contributed more runs than the other options here. His presence also sees the top six scoring batsmen all selected in this team.

A couple of half-centuries is enough for Brad Haddin to keep out Matt Prior as wicketkeeper. Prior has experienced some of the worst form of his career this series, averaging under 15. Haddin has also assisted in 25 dismissals, all caught, compared to Prior's 15.

The selection hots up when it comes to the bowlers. Five players have a strong case for making the team, but in the end it's Stuart Broad—the hero at Chester-le-Street—who is unfortunate to miss out.

As the top wicket-taker thus far with 23 wickets, Graeme Swann is a clear choice as spinner.

Ryan Harris' irrepressible form has seen him claim 20 wickets in just three Tests and, as a result, he leads the seamers and takes the new ball. 

All three of Peter Siddle, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad have 17 wickets each, making the final two spots especially tricky. Siddle earns his place through consistency and due to bowling at superior batsmen, leaving Broad and Anderson scrapping for the final place.

This could easily be argued either way, as Anderson started on fire before fading, while Broad began slowly before his impressive return at Durham. In the end, Anderson's reputation and previous Ashes form prevails.

The final XI has a surprisingly balanced ratio of six Englishmen to five Australians.