Ashes 2015: Updated Power Rankings for England vs. Australia After 5th Test
So another Ashes series is over.
It only seems like yesterday when England were crushed 5-0 in Australia, yet now Alastair Cook has his hands back on the miniature urn after a 3-2 victory.
England lost the final battle, going down by an innings in the fifth Test at the Oval, but had already won the war.
Like One Direction, this Australian band is splitting up. Michael Clarke and Chris Rogers both finished their international careers on a winning note in the last Test but are now heading into retirement.
England, meanwhile, have to build on an unlikely Ashes triumph ahead of a busy winter that includes tours to the United Arab Emirates, where they will take on Pakistan, and South Africa.
Throughout the series Bleacher Report has power ranked every player involved in the series.
Here, with the Ashes hangover now clear, are the standings following the end of the Test leg of Australia's tour.
28. Shane Watson (Australia)
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Previous position: 27
Like chewing gum on the sole of your shoe, Shane Watson is sticking around at the bottom of this list.
The all-rounder has not featured for Australia since the first Test at Cardiff, Wales.
If he never plays for his country in the longest format again, at least Watson can be safe in the knowledge he signed off in the right way—wasting a review after being given out leg before wicket.
He averaged 24.50 with the bat after two knocks in his solitary appearance in the series, but the emergence of Mitchell Marsh means his days as a Test cricketer could be numbered.
27. Brad Haddin (Australia)
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Previous position: 26
Have we seen the last of Brad Haddin in a Baggy Green? It was a difficult tour for the veteran wicketkeeper, one that ended early for family reasons.
Haddin played just the one Test before departing, and his most notable moment in the series opener came when he dropped Joe Root before he had a run to his name on the first morning. Root went on to make 134.
The 37-year-old missed the second Test to be with his daughter, who was in a London hospital.
Australia won at Lord's and the selectors opted to stick with Peter Nevill behind the stumps for the rest of the series. Cricket Australia's high performance chief Pat Howard has since come out and backed the decision to leave out Haddin, per Peter Lalor in the Australian.
26. Shaun Marsh (Australia)
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Previous position: 23
Shaun Marsh made a brief appearance in the Ashes.
Picked to play in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, he managed to face all of 10 deliveries in the match.
The left-hander was twice caught behind the wicket when groping at full balls outside his off stump.
Chris Rogers' retirement could open the door for Marsh, but at 32—and with a Test average of 33.11 after 15 matches—Australia may decide to look at someone younger to fill the void at the top of the batting order.
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25. Gary Ballance (England)
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Previous position: 25
Like his feet in the crease to a full delivery, Gary Ballance is a non-mover in our rankings.
Axed after the second Test defeat at Lord's, the left-hander found himself playing for his county, Yorkshire, while the rest of his England mates were celebrating winning the Ashes at the Oval.
Despite being dropped, Ballance insists he has no intention of modifying a technique that sees him take a big step back into his crease just before the point of delivery.
He told the Yorkshire Post (h/t Nick Hoult of the Telegraph): "My whole career, it's how I've made runs. I don't think a few bad games should suddenly change things so I'm not changing anything. When I was scoring runs, people were saying, 'that's a good technique'."
That defence sounds a bit like a father trying to justify how he danced at his daughter's wedding, insisting that the moves on display were all the rage back in the 1970s.
24. Adam Lyth (England)
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Previous position: 24
Adam Lyth should soak in the experience of being part of an Ashes-winning squad, seeing as it may be the last time he plays for England for a while.
The opening batsman had a miserable series in terms of his personal output, averaging just 12.77.
The century he scored against New Zealand in just his second Test appearance now seems a long, long time ago. Can the selectors really continue to show faith in him beyond this summer?
England coach Trevor Bayliss has hinted that Moeen Ali could be tried as an opener in place of Lyth for the series against Pakistan, per BBC Sport: "In the UAE the possibility of playing two spinners will be at the forefront of everyone's thinking, so obviously we'd have to change the team to get a second spinner in."
23. Jos Buttler (England)
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Previous position: 21
Jos Buttler should be grateful for Adam Lyth taking the spotlight away from some of his own struggles, seeing as he only averaged 15.25 during the five Ashes Tests.
The wicketkeeper-batsman was at least honest in appraising his own performances, telling Ali Martin of the Guardian: "I’ve had a very poor series, there is no getting away from that."
What will be concerning for England's team management is that the right-hander struggled with off-spinner Nathan Lyon, hardly what you want to see before coming up against Pakistan.
But while Biuttler was poor with the bat, his work with the gloves improved throughout the summer, as demonstrated by the smart leg-side catch he took off Moeen Ali to dismiss Peter Nevill at the Oval.
22. Jonny Bairstow (England)
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Previous position: 13
Jonny Bairstow at least got to play in the fifth and final Test of the Ashes this year. Still, it hasn't stopped him sliding back 10 spots in our rankings.
The wicketkeeper-batsman was dropped for the finale in 2013. Bairstow had a lean time of it during that summer, but this time around he was drafted into the lineup midway through the series.
The Yorkshireman, who contributed 74 in a winning cause in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, was bounced out by Mitchell Johnson and then spun out by Nathan Lyon at the Oval.
The high of helping England win the Ashes was tempered for Bairstow by his absence from the limited-overs squads to face Australia, per the Yorkshire Post. His non-selection seems particularly harsh after he played a starring role in the ODI series decider against New Zealand earlier this summer.
21. Josh Hazlewood (Australia)
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Previous position: 11
Josh Hazlewood finished his first Ashes experience watching on from the dressing room.
The seamer claimed 16 wickets at 25.75 in four Tests but was rested for the final game in London. Australia coach Darren Lehmann confirmed Hazlewood had some "niggling problems," per Sky Sports.
While the 24-year-old has done nothing wrong on the tour, he will be concerned about his place in the XI after seeing Peter Siddle play such a starring role in the victory at the Oval.
20. Peter Nevill (Australia)
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Previous position: 14
Wicketkeeper Peter Nevill found himself thrust into the spotlight when he was picked to make his Test debut at Lord's. He took to international cricket like a duck to water, making 45 with the bat and taking seven catches.
The 29-year-old then registered a maiden half-century in the defeat at Birmingham, but his scores tailed off after that. Nevill's batting is like his keeping—solid but unspectacular.
His personal series finished in a 2-2 draw, seeing as he missed the defeat in Wales. That result would have been good enough for Australia to retain the miniature urn.
19. Michael Clarke (Australia)
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Previous position: 19
Michael Clarke is a non-mover in the rankings, as he won't be moving on a cricket field for Australia again.
The outgoing captain signed off his international career with a win at the Oval, though it has been a troubling series for the batsman. He finished up averaging 16.50 with a top score of 38.
A lean tour of England means he ends his time in the Baggy Green with a Test average just under 50 (49.10, to be precise).
He received a guard of honour from the England team before his final innings for Australia, then another from his own team-mates after the game came to a conclusion on Day 4.
Clarke then signed off with a swipe at the pitches used in the series, according to Andy Bull in the Guardian: "I think Test cricket is a five-day battle. I want to see good and fair cricket for both batters and bowlers, I think that’s the way the game should be played."
18. Adam Voges (Australia)
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Previous position: 20
Has Adam Voges done enough to extend his Test career beyond the tour of England?
The batsman left it late but reminded the selectors of his abilities with back-to-back half-centuries in his final two knocks. But despite the late upsurge, he still finished the series with an average of 28.71.
At 35, Voges knows his international career is not likely to be a long one. He only made his debut against the West Indies in June this year, hitting a century in his maiden innings.
He was trapped leg before wicket by Ben Stokes to end his knock of 76 in the fifth Test at the Oval. It broke a trend with his dismissals, per OptaJason on Twitter: "That is the 1st time Adam Voges has been dismissed LBW in his Test career, he'd been caught in each of his previous 7 dismissals."
17. Mark Wood (England)
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Previous position: 18
Mark Wood and his imaginary horse seemed to enjoy the celebrations at the Oval, according to England's official Twitter account.
A haul of 10 wickets in four Tests during the series perhaps does not do justice to the Durham paceman's performances—he was certainly the most threatening of the home bowlers used at the Oval.
The concern, however, is over his long-term fitness. Per Jonathan Liew in the Telegraph, Wood revealed he may need an operation to sort out an ankle injury.
16. Ian Bell (England)
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Previous position: 10
Ian Bell has been on the winning side in an Ashes battle five times now, though the 2015 series was a far cry from his previous success two years earlier.
In 2013, the batsman was the foundation for England's 3-0 triumph on home soil, hitting three centuries. This year, though, Bell has been a peripheral figure to such an extent that his place was under threat.
Instead of dropping him, however, England promoted him. The move up to three in the order worked at his home ground of Edgbaston—he hit successive half-centuries as the hosts went 2-1 up.
Yet Bell faded after his knocks in Birmingham, finishing the series with an average of 26.87.
At least England's director of cricket Andrew Strauss is still backing the right-hander at the highest level, per BBC Sport: "If he's got the motivation and drive to continue, then he's still got an important part to play."
15. James Anderson (England)
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Previous position: 15
James Anderson was not involved in the final two Tests of the series, though he still donned his full kit for the presentation ceremony.
His decision to put on whites led to comparisons on Twitter to Chelsea captain John Terry, who did something similar when he missed the 2012 UEFA Champions League final through suspension.
A side strain left the Lancashire seamer in the role of spectator for the games at Trent Bridge and the Oval, though he perhaps wasn't that disappointed to miss out on bowling on the pitch at the latter.
Anderson finished the series with 10 wickets—six of those came during one innings in the third Test, when he once again reminded everyone why he is the king of swing.
14. Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
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Previous position: 17
Mitchell Johnson's bowling average against England in Tests on Australian soil: 20.59.
Mitchell Johnson's bowling average against England in Tests away from home: 33.57.
The left-arm paceman improved the second of those numbers with four wickets in the series finale—he was actually at his best on the two flattest pitches used during the summer, at Lord's and the Oval.
Could it be he has now fought his last Ashes battle?
Johnson was not included in the predicted Australia XI for the 2016/17 series picked by commentator Jim Maxwell for BBC Sport.
13. Steven Finn (England)
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Previous position: 12
Steven Finn picked up 12 wickets in three Tests at an average of 22.50 after being drafted into the XI for the third Test in Birmingham.
As well as helping England to glory, the bowler also enjoyed a personal triumph. He had been sent home from the 2013/14 Ashes tour after coach Ashley Giles had branded him "unselectable," per Sam Peters of the Daily Mail.
Still, Finn was inconsistent with his speeds and guilty of a cardinal sin in the final Test—taking a wicket with a no ball. Steven Smith made the most of the let-off to reach three figures.
He managed to get some part of his foot behind the crease to dismiss Mitchell Marsh, in the process reaching the milestone of 100 Test scalps.
12. Mitchell Marsh (Australia)
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Previous position: 22
Mitchell Marsh started the tour with a glut of runs, scoring centuries in the warm-up matches against Kent and Essex.
But while he struggled with the bat against England—making a total of 48 runs in five innings—the all-rounder did show off his abilities with the ball.
His fast-medium pacers at the Oval caused the hosts problems, as he picked up five wickets in the match. Marsh was rewarded for his efforts with a piece of cheese from a spectator, per Fox Sports.
Australia now need to stick with the younger of the two Marsh brothers, thereby giving him time to settle into his role in the XI.
11. Ben Stokes (England)
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Previous position: 6
Although he has dropped in the rankings, Ben Stokes has a big fan in England coach Trevor Bayliss.
The Australian said of the all-rounder after his career-best bowling figures in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, per Ali Martin of the Guardian: "Certainly, his batting is right up there. With his bowling, as we’ve seen here, he could be another Jimmy Anderson."
The left-hander finished up averaging 25.12 with the bat and 33.45 with the ball—in future he would like to see those figures the other way around.
However, it should be remembered that Stokes is still only 24. It does at least seem, looking at the picture above, that he's already experienced at celebrating success.
10. Peter Siddle (Australia)
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Previous position: New entry
Peter Siddle left it late to make an impact on the series, though that wasn't his choice.
Overlooked for the previous four Tests, the seamer was finally selected in Australia's XI in place of the rested Josh Hazlewood at the Oval.
He made the most of the opportunity, taking six wickets in the match while going at an economy rate of 1.77. Per Daniel Brettig of ESPN Cricinfo, he had feared before the match that his Test career could be over.
His display in the fifth Test sees Siddle fly into the top 10. It might also leave Australia wondering what might have been had they called on his services sooner during the trip.
9. Moeen Ali (England)
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Previous position: 9
Moeen Ali's numbers are not particularly spectacular, but he played a crucial part in England's successful summer.
The Worcestershire all-rounder scored 293 runs batting down at eight in the order, including valuable half-centuries in the matches at Cardiff and Birmingham.
As England's frontline spinner, he was only ever needed in a supporting role. He claimed 12 wickets, including dismissing David Warner on four occasions, at an average of 45.50.
8. Nathan Lyon (Australia)
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Previous position: 16
Nathan Lyon isn't just in our top 10—he's also now in the top 10 off-spinners in terms of Test wickets, according to Mohandas Menon on Twitter.
The slow bowler took his career tally to 162 wickets with 16 scalps in the Ashes, a fine return considering three of the pitches—at Cardiff, Nottingham and Birmingham—were set up for seamers to prosper.
He is more than just a holding option, however. His dismissal of England captain Alastair Cook on Day 2 at the Oval, when he spun one past the left-hander's bat to hit off stump, showed he is an attacking threat.
However, the highlight he might see repeated most often from the series is his dismissal in the fourth Test. Lyon was bowled by Mark Wood, meaning England clinched the victory they needed to regain the Ashes.
7. David Warner (Australia)
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Previous position: 8
David Warner will be slightly frustrated with his performances in the 2015 Ashes, despite finishing with an average of 46.44.
The left-handed opener hit five half-centuries but failed to go on and reach three figures on each occasion. He was twice dismissed playing a short-armed jab, rather than going for the pull shot he would normally use.
Perhaps that's because Warner is mellowing—he now has added responsibilities, too, having been named Australia's new vice-captain.
He and Joe Root certainly seem to have buried the hatchet after their run-in during the summer of 2013—they tweeted a photo together after the fifth Test, per the Press Association (h/t the Guardian).
6. Mitchell Starc (Australia)
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Previous position: 4
Starc was the main Mitchell for Australia during the Test leg of their tour, ending up as the visitors' leading wicket-taker with 18 victims.
However, the left-arm paceman doesn't yet have the same aura as he does in limited-overs cricket. At times he can be threatening but on other occasions wayward and expensive.
It has led to former Australia captain and Channel 9 pundit Mark Taylor questioning whether both Starc and Mitchell Johnson can be picked in the same XI, per news.com.au: "They haven’t bowled well together. I think they can bowl together, but one of them has to bowl much tighter than they’ve been."
Despite a few doubts over his status in Test action, Starc remains in the top 10. It should not be forgotten that he also hit two half-centuries with the bat.
5. Alastair Cook (England)
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Previous position: 3
A disappointing series with the bat, but England captain Alastair Cook can bask in the glory of his side regaining the Ashes.
He had talked before the final Test about the desire to push for a 4-1 series triumph, but the hosts failed to follow up their skipper's words as they were well beaten at the Oval.
Cook the batsman made two half-centuries, both in losing causes. He chopped on for 96 at Lord's, then in the final Test was dismissed by Steven Smith's leg-spin in the second innings for 85.
While he was still able to celebrate with the urn, it proved to be an expensive game for Cook. The 30-year-old was fined 40 percent of his match fee after the fifth Test because of England's slow over-rate, per Sky Sports.
4. Chris Rogers (Australia)
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Previous position: 5
It says much about Chris Rogers' Ashes series that he may end up proving tougher to replace than his ex-skipper, Michael Clarke.
Opener Rogers scored 480 runs at an average of 60.00, including hitting a century in the second Test at Lord's.
That was particularly sweet for the 37-year-old, considering the time he has spent playing there for Middlesex. He told Sky Sports: "It's one of the proudest moments of my career. I got a hundred at the MCG, then at the SCG and to get one here... it's so special."
Now, though, the left-hander's international career is over. He hangs up his batting gloves with a respectable average of 42.87.
Steven Smith praised his former team-mate on Twitter: "Congrats also to Chris Rogers. Was late into the Aussie side but shows perseverance, hard work and determination pays off."
3. Steven Smith (Australia)
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Previous position: 7
Steven Smith finished as the leading run-scorer in the series, amassing 508 at an average of 56.44.
London life certainly seemed to suit the right-hander—he made a double century at Lord's and then finished off with 143 at the Oval (though only after he'd been reprieved by a Steve Finn no-ball on 92).
His innings in the final Test came after it had been confirmed Smith would take over from the retiring Michael Clarke as captain of Australia.
The new leader has little time to settle into the job—he will skipper his country in the limited-overs leg of the tour before his side then head to Bangladesh in October for a two-Test series.
2. Stuart Broad (England)
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Previous position: 2
In one magical session in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, Stuart Broad made sure England would regain the Ashes.
The seamer took eight for 15 on the morning of Day 1, almost singlehandedly bowling out Australia for 60. His reaction to Ben Stokes' catch to dismiss Adam Voges also saw #OhmyBroad trending on Twitter.
Broad's brilliance allowed England to clinch an unassailable 3-1 lead at a canter—he finished the series with 21 wickets at an average of 20.90.
Sir Ian Botham—a man who knows a thing or two about playing a pivotal role in an Ashes series—said of Broad on Sky Sports: "When he gets it right, he is unstoppable." Australia will certainly testify to that.
1. Joe Root (England)
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Previous position: 1
Despite scores of six and 11 in the final Test, Joe Root was given the Compton–Miller Medal as the best player in the series.
He made two centuries in the summer against Australia, both coming in crucial situations. He hit 134 in the first Test in Cardiff on Day 1, then in the fourth Test weighed in with 130 at Trent Bridge.
England have opted to rest the Yorkshireman for the limited-overs games coming up, a move that his former international team-mate Kevin Pietersen backed in his column in the Telegraph: "They must protect him (Root) to avoid the risk of potentially spoiling a young player."
While he has lost top spot in the ICC batting rankings to Australian Steven Smith, Root is at the summit in our Ashes power rankings.
All stats used in the slideshow are from ESPN Cricinfo
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