Ranking Australia's Top 10 Ashes Heroes
The glittering diamond in the cricket calendar, the Ashes has given rise to countless Australian heroes throughout the years.
From devastating batsmen to terrifying bowlers, Australia's list of immortalised warriors from the nation's battles with England is an extensive one.
Yet what constitutes a hero in Australia is more complicated than a matter of runs and wickets.
Australia's society is a unique, ever-evolving beast, but the country's blue collar roots have ensured that a raw and grounded mentality has remained permanently in place.
Consequently, the identity of heroes can take many forms Down Under. Of course, prolific world-beaters have always been admired, but stubborn underdogs and working-class renegades have also regularly walked into Australian folklore.
To complicate the matter further, some of Australia's greatest Test players—Ricky Ponting for example—have not always enjoyed the same success in the Ashes, which has otherwise been the hallmark of their exemplary careers.
With that in mind, here are Australia's greatest Ashes heroes, who for one reason or another, have captivated their nation's hearts and minds during the epic encounters with England.
10. Arthur Morris
1 of 10
Ashes Career Span: 1946-1955
Ashes Tests: 24
Ashes Runs: 2,080
Ashes Average: 50.73
Greatest Ashes Feat: 696 runs at 89.78 during "The Invincibles" tour of England in 1948
Arthur Morris is undoubtedly one of his nation's finest players, acknowledged by being named in Australia's greatest team of the 20th century.
A graceful left-hander, Morris elegantly flayed his opposition around the ground with as much style as anyone in the history of Ashes cricket.
Yet it was during Sir Donald Bradman's victory lap around England in 1948 with "The Invincibles" that Morris performed his greatest act.
His three hundreds and three fifties from just nine innings saw Morris finish with a haul of 696 runs, a total that was 188 runs greater than that of Bradman's.
9. Dennis Lillee
2 of 10
Ashes Career Span: 1971-1982
Ashes Tests: 24
Ashes Wickets: 128
Ashes Average: 22.32
Greatest Ashes Feat: Dismantling of England in 1972
Dennis Lillee was the preeminent bowler of his generation, a combative and lethal spearhead who embodied Australia's collective mentality throughout his entire career.
Initially a tearaway with frightening speed and hostility, Lillee was forced to become a more crafty operator as persistent injuries limited his sheer pace after 1973.
However in 1972, the right-armer was at his most lethal when he claimed 31 wickets at 17.67 on English soil, in what was one of the most hotly contested Ashes series in history.
Now immortalised outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the chant of "Lillee, Lillee" at grounds around Australia was once the most stirring sound in Australian sport.
8. Ray Lindwall
3 of 10
Ashes Career Span: 1946-1959
Ashes Tests: 29
Ashes Wickets: 114
Ashes Average: 22.44
Greatest Ashes Feat: Destruction of England in 1948
A pioneer of modern fast bowling, the sight of Ray Lindwall steaming in was a thing of beauty during the middle part of the 20th century.
With an exhilarating action of grace and style, Lindwall rose through the ranks to become the star of fast bowling in Australia by the time England arrived Down Under for the 1946-47 Ashes series.
With the aid of Keith Miller, Lindwall helped to deliver a comprehensive victory for the home side with 18 wickets at 20.38, as well as a rapid hundred from just 90 balls in Melbourne.
Yet, even greater was his destruction of England in 1948, when the right-armer claimed 27 wickets at 19.62, leading the attack in what was arguably the finest Test team ever assembled in the history of the game.
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7. Glenn McGrath
4 of 10
Ashes Career Span: 1994-2007
Ashes Tests: 30
Ashes Wickets: 157
Ashes Average: 20.92
Greatest Ashes Feat: Perfection in 2001
Few players have ever owned a stranglehold over an opponent like Glenn McGrath did with England. His 157 Ashes wickets is second on Australia's list, while his incredible average of 20.92 is the finest mark among any of his contemporaries.
McGrath's nagging line was simply impeccable. His ability to nip the ball both ways from a good length was unrivalled during his reign as Australia's spearhead.
His tormenting of England became so heavily ingrained that McGrath's success against the old foe became relentlessly greater as his career wore on.
In 2001, McGrath completed what was perhaps his finest performance over England, as he took 32 wickets in five matches, at an astonishing average of 16.93 and a jaw-dropping strike rate of 36.4.
6. Steve Waugh
5 of 10
Ashes Career Span: 1986-2003
Ashes Tests: 45
Ashes Runs: 3,173
Ashes Average: 58.75
Greatest Ashes Feat: 157 on one leg at The Oval in 2001
Steve Waugh's place in the hearts and minds of Australians was guaranteed when he bravely compiled 157 not out with a badly torn calf muscle at The Oval in 2001. Barely able to move, the captain put together a performance of sheer determination, best captured in the moment he raised his stickerless bat to crowd, lying exhausted at the popping crease in the middle of the south London arena.
It was a performance that epitomised not only the very fabric of Waugh, but the grit and dogged determination that have long been associated with the essence of Australian cricket.
That same determination was again evident when Waugh hammered an unforgettable hundred in Sydney in 2003, a time when his place in Australia's side was in jeopardy. When Waugh crunched a four through cover from the last ball of the day, the captain completed one of the most memorable innings in cricket's long and illustrious history.
5. David Boon
6 of 10
Ashes Career Span: 1985-1995
Ashes Tests: 30
Ashes Runs: 2,041
Ashes Average: 42.52
Greatest Ashes Feat: 52 not out on the plane to England in 1989
Behind only Sir Donald Bradman's batting average of 99.94, David Boon's grand tally of 52 cans of beer on the plane to England in 1989 is perhaps the most treasured statistic in Australian sport.
Intent on breaking the 44-can record previously set by Doug Walters and Rod Marsh, Boon drank his way into Australian folklore by completing a 52-can effort in less than 24 hours, only days before his team's tour began.
That Boon's feat has reached legendary status is a reflection of the larrikin, blue collar traditions that form the basis of Australia's collective mentality.
Yet don't be fooled into thinking that Boon wasn't among his nation's finest with the bat. In that very series, the beefy No. 3 compiled 442 runs at 55.25, just to show that his technique was as resilient as his liver.
4. Bill Woodfull
7 of 10
Ashes Career Span: 1926-1934
Ashes Tests: 25
Ashes Runs: 1,675
Ashes Average: 44.07
Greatest Ashes Feat: Condemnation of Douglas Jardine's England during Bodyline in 1932-33
Some individuals rise to prominence through the sheer weight of their performances, while others endear themselves through acts of integrity and moral fortitude.
Bill Woodfull falls into the latter category.
The Australian captain, considered by many as a true gentleman of the game, fervently opposed the methods used by England during the infamous Bodyline series in Australia in 1932-33. His refusal to accept both Douglas Jardine's unethical tactics and the MCC's demeaning stance on the matter was instrumental in ensuring Bodyline was immediately met with condemnation at the conclusion of the series.
Yet even more honourable was his refusal to employ the same tactics in return, insisting that cricket shouldn't stoop to such an immoral low.
His famous defiance towards the extremely distinguished England selector Pelham Warner became a watershed moment in the history of cricket, paving the way for change that helped to save relations between cricket's oldest rivals.
3. Allan Border
8 of 10
Ashes Career Span: 1978-1993
Ashes Tests: 42
Ashes Runs: 3,222
Ashes Average: 55.55
Greatest Ashes Feat: Instigating Australia's revival in the late 1980s
Known affectionately as "Captain Grumpy," Allan Border is widely considered the key figure responsible for Australia's cricket revival in the late 1980s.
Following the departure of greats such as Dennis Lillee, Greg Chappell and Rod Marsh during the early part of the decade, Australia was left with Border at the helm of a team with precious few world-class performers.
Thus, Border became a ruthless leader, a man intent on changing Australia's attitude and application in Test cricket by instilling a brutal standard and mentality within the team that would transform the nation into a global cricketing powerhouse.
After losing five of the six series played in the decade prior to 1987, Australia enjoyed a period of unprecedented dominance over England that lasted until 2005, for which Border was immensely responsible.
2. Shane Warne
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Ashes Career Span: 1993-2007
Ashes Tests: 36
Ashes Wickets: 195
Ashes Average: 23.25
Greatest Ashes Feat: "Ball of the Century" at Old Trafford in 1993
An artist, a showman, a revolutionary, a renegade—that combination can only belong to Shane Warne, the most captivating character ever to walk onto a cricket field.
While some have reached similar heights, none have entertained like Warne. His swagger and brash confidence riled many and his regular misdemeanours distanced others, but his unfathomable ability amazed them all.
His entry into Ashes cricket—the "Gatting ball" in 1993 at Old Trafford—was simply a spectacular preview to an astonishing career, a career that not only elevated Australia to the summit of world cricket, but also revolutionised the entire sport at the same time.
1. Sir Donald Bradman
10 of 10
Ashes Career Span: 1928-1948
Ashes Tests: 37
Ashes Runs: 5,028
Ashes Average: 89.78
Greatest Ashes Feat: Sheer dominance over England for 20 years
Only one man will ever own the No. 1 spot on this list, given his incomparable achievements for Australia in the Ashes.
Simply put, Sir Donald Bradman is the greatest cricketer of all time.
His 5,028 runs are an Ashes record, his 19 Ashes hundreds are out of sight from the next best and his average is completely untouchable.
Bradman's stunning list of achievements is only dwarfed by the extent of his global impact on the game of cricket, which is still being felt today.
Sir Donald Bradman is unquestionably Australia's greatest Ashes hero.
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