Team of the Ashes (so far): Fans' XI

With one Test remaining in this Ashes series and with England holding an unassailable 3-1 lead, we assessed the performances of all 27 players who had lined up for their countries at Sophia Gardens, Lord's, Edgbaston and Trent Bridge.

Then, we asked you - the fans - to select the Team of the Ashes (so far).

Here are the results:

OPENERS

More: Best openers of the 2015 Ashes

1. Chris Rogers (83%): 437 runs at 62.42. HS: 173

Watch: Rogers racks up Lord's ton (Aus only)

Rogers led the way for the openers through the first four Tests of the Ashes series and unsurprisingly, that dominance translation into a strong showing in the public poll.

He took the pressure off himself by announcing this series would likely be his Test match swansong, and the decision paid regular dividends.

After top-scoring for his side with 95 in the opening defeat in Cardiff (an effort that saw him equal a world record sequence of fifties in seven consecutive Test innings), Rogers stepped things up a notch second time around, smashing a Test-best 173 at Lord’s – the ground he has previously called home with Middlesex.

Forced to retire hurt in the second innings of that match after racking up another 49, he was under a cloud for the third Test but took his place and was a standout with 52 in Australia’s dismal first innings at Edgbaston. 

Watch: Rogers makes fighting fifty (Aus only)

In the fourth Test, he made the first duck of his Test career in the 60 all out, and added another 52 in the second innings to trail only Joe Root (443 runs) as the Ashes leading runs-scorer after Trent Bridge.

2. Alastair Cook (8%) (Captain): 223 runs at 31.85. HS: 96

Watch: Cook's captain's knock at Lord's (Aus only)

Despite scoring 110 fewer runs in the first four Tests than David Warner, England skipper Alastair Cook just pipped the Australia opener – by one per cent – for a place in the best XI of the first four Tests.

Cook came into the Ashes with the pressure finally off, after centuries against West Indies and New Zealand, yet the left-handed run machine again failed to fire against Australia.

A fighting 96 at Lord’s – his only half-century – went some way to salvaging an otherwise lean series at the top of the order, though as captain, Cook has led impressively.

His plans to Steve Smith and David Warner, in particular, have worked well at various times throughout the series, and the skipper was praised by former England players for his leadership after his team secured the Ashes in Trent Bridge.

NO.3 

More: Best No.3 batsman of the 2015 Ashes

3. Steve Smith (78%): 365 runs at 45.62. HS 215

Watch: Smith's double century for the ages (Aus only)

Coming into the series as the world's No.1 ranked Test batsman, Smith continued his incredible form with scores of 215 and 58 at Lord's to guide Australia to a thumping victory that levelled the series.

It was otherwise a disappointing first four Tests for Australia's Test captain-in-waiting, but it was enough for him to be voted the top No.1 of the first four matches, ahead of Ian Bell (19%), who moved up the order after the second Test when Gary Balance was dropped.

Smith scored a combined 92 runs from six innings in Cardiff, Birmingham and Nottingham and was caught behind the wicket off the quicks five times out of six.

England paceman Stuart Broad and retired spinner Graeme Swann stated pre-series that Smith's unique technique could come undone in English conditions and apart from the brilliant performance at Lord's, that prediction came to fruition in Cardiff, Birmingham and Nottingham.

MIDDLE-ORDER

More: Best middle-order batsmen of the 2015 Ashes

4. Joe Root (83%): 443 runs at 73.83. HS 134

Watch: Root's brilliant Nottingham century (Aus only)

In an Ashes series in which the middle orders from both sides have largely failed to deliver, England’s Joe Root has been head and shoulders above his nearest rival.

With a pair of sublime hundreds and a couple of fifties to boot, Root confirmed his credentials as one of the game’s best young batsmen throughout the first four Tests of this Ashes series.

The 24-year-old had his slice of luck on day one of the first Test at Cardiff, surviving a Brad Haddin dropped catch on nought, but capitalised on that superbly to make a counterattacking and ultimately match-winning 134 from just 166 balls.

He carried on his fine form in the second innings with 60, missed out in both innings at Lord’s, but returned impressively at Edgbaston, making 63 and 38 not out, the latter innings including the winning runs courtesy of a sweetly-struck four through the leg side.

Better was to come at Nottingham when he found himself batting after lunch on day one following Australia’s capitulation to be all out for 60.

The right-hander more than doubled his opponents’ combined tally, stroking 130 from 176 deliveries and taking the game – and the Ashes – away from Australia in the process.

It pushed him to the No.1 position in the Test batting rankings – making him the youngest player in history to achieve the accolade, while he’s also the youngest Englishman to score three Ashes hundreds.

5. Adam Voges (5%): 125 runs at 20.83. HS 51no

Watch: Voges' fighting fifty (Aus only)

With Root the obvious choice for the No.4 position – and dominating the voting – the battle for No.5 was between batsman who have had largely disappointing series to date.

Adam Voges finished slightly ahead of his rivals, earning five per cent of the public vote compared to Michael Clarke (4%), Shaun Marsh (3%), Ian Bell (3%) and Jonny Bairstow (2%).

A record-breaking Shield season, a century on debut in the Caribbean, and a handy record in county cricket pointed to a bumper Ashes series for Voges, however the West Australian captain was unable to fulfil his pre-determined role of shoring up the tourists’ middle order, managing 74 runs in seven innings until a fighting half-century in the fourth Test salvaged his statistics somewhat.

ALLROUNDER

More: Best allrounder of the 2015 Ashes

6. Ben Stokes (50%): 186 runs at 31; 8 wickets at 29.37. HS: 87. BB: 6-36

Watch: Stokes steps up at Lord's (Aus only)

The inclusion of Moeen Ali in the allrounder group - given his performances with the bat – made the task of nominating just one player to fill what is essentially the No.6 spot all the more challenging.

It shaped as a battle of the Brits after underwhelming series from Australia’s two candidates, and one Ben Stokes won convincingly, earning 50 per cent of the vote ahead of Ali

With a century and a five-for in the 2013-14 whitewash, Stokes had already announced himself as an Ashes force to be reckoned with and in Cardiff, he was out of the blocks in typically robust fashion, hitting a pair of sixes in his 52 and backing it up with the wicket of Adam Voges in Australia’s first innings.

Watch: Stokes' spectacular grab (Aus only)

The 24-year-old followed up with 87 in England’s defeat at Lord’s and suddenly looked like England’s most reliable performer with the bat aside from Joe Root.

A couple of ducks and a shortage of wickets followed, but Stokes again grabbed the headlines with a stunning display of swing bowling in the second innings of the fourth Test in Nottingham.

Borrowing from the skill-set of the injured James Anderson, Stokes had the ball ducking both in and away from Australia’s batsmen, and the result was all too predictable: six wickets for just 36 runs, and the return of the Ashes urn to English hands.

Watch: Stokes claims five (Aus only)

WICKETKEEPER

More: Best wicketkeeper of the 2015 Ashes

7. Peter Nevill (69%): 13 catches; 125 runs at 25. HS: 59

Watch: Nevill reflects on amazing debut 

Brad Haddin set the bar ridiculously high in the past two Ashes contests and no wicketkeeper – not even Haddin himself – has been able to live up to those lofty expectations this time around.

However, Peter Nevill has done enough in his debut Test series to earn the popular vote in the Team of the Ashes (so far).

Nevill had been Haddin’s understudy at both New South Wales and on the recent tour to the Caribbean, so when the time came for him to take centre stage – at Lord’s in an Ashes Test, no less – the 29-year-old had the wherewithal to handle it.

After making a polished 45 from just 59 balls in the first innings, he needed just two balls to pouch his first grab in Test cricket.

He didn’t stop there, either.

For the match, he equalled the Australian catches record of seven, looking ever-so comfortable in his new role.

Ahead of, and during, the third Test, Nevill found himself an innocent victim of the Haddin controversy, but again handled himself with aplomb, taking another three catches and making a second-innings 59.

Watch: Nevill's first Test fifty (Aus only)

Three more grabs in Nottingham did little to detract from a miserable time with the bat for both Nevill and Australia, the keeper contributing 2 and 17 but at least achieving the dubious distinction of not losing his wicket to a rampant Stuart Broad.

BOWLERS

More: Best bowlers of the 2015 Ashes

8. Stuart Broad (58%): 21 wickets at 18.09. BB 8-15

Watch: Broad takes 8-15 (Aus only)

Australia’s Ashes nemesis in recent times, Broad was quiet throughout the series before lighting up his home ground of Trent Bridge with a thunderous performance on the first morning of the fourth Test.

With Anderson absent through injury, Broad claimed career-best figures of 8-15, dismantling Australia’s perplexed batting line-up through unwavering accuracy and unplayable movement off a juicy Nottingham wicket.

The unchanged spell produced the third-best figures for England against Australia and also entered the blond quick into the exclusive 300 Test wickets club.

That performance was enough for him to be overwhelmingly voted the bowler of the series so far.

 “He’s a great bowler. He’s done amazing things for England,” Glenn McGrath told cricket.com.au.

“The fact that he’s stepped up when Jimmy Anderson wasn’t here, a lot of people have been talking ‘Jimmy will be missed this game’, but to bowl a team out for 60, take 8-15 is a pretty amazing effort.”

9. Mitchell Starc (16%): 18 wickets at 27.27. BB 6-111

Watch: Starc's bag of wickets (Aus only)

Starc has enjoyed his longest consecutive run in the Baggy Green and it’s paying dividends, with the paceman voted the second-best performing bowler of the first four Tests behind Broad.

The lissom left-armer was Australia’s standout bowler in the first four Tests, topping the wicket-takers tally with 18 scalps at a phenomenal strike rate of 39.

Starting the series with five wickets and an ankle problem in Cardiff, Starc shrugged off the pain to remove England opener Adam Lyth in each innings at Lord’s.

While Starc’s searing pace and hooping swing was blunted in Birmingham, the same could not be said in Nottingham where he produced career-best figures of 6-111 which were ultimately to no avail.

10. James Anderson (10%): 10 wickets at 27.50. BB 6-47

Watch: Anderson's six-wicket haul (Aus only)

By his own high expectations, Anderson was stuck in first gear for the first couple of Tests of the series and missed the fourth through injury, but his outstanding performance in the third Test was enough for voters to hand him a place in the best XI of the first four matches.

He produced a modest return of 3-76 in Cardiff and 0-137 at Lord’s, but England’s highest Test wicket-taker bounced back in spectacular fashion at Edgbaston, claiming Ashes-best bowling figures of 6-47 on day one to remind the world just how lethal he is with a new ball in hand.

Seemingly back to his best after his worst display ever at the Home of Cricket, only a side strain injury could stop Anderson, and with it the remainder of his Test series.

11. Nathan Lyon (6%): 12 wickets at 29.91. BB 4-75

Watch: Lyon take three wickets in Birmingham (Aus only)

The only specialist spinner of a series dominated by seam and swing, it comes as no surprise Lyon has been voted into the best XI of the Ashes to date, having done his reputation no harm with some fantastic performances.

On wickets that have not favoured slow bowling, Lyon has been economical and attacking,

After Australia were rolled for 136 in the third Test, Lyon was the chief destroyer for the visitors, taking wickets immediately to give Michael Clarke’s men some glimmer of hope.

While we haven’t seen the different variations he is capable of, ‘Gaz’ has made it a habit of removing England’s captain Alastair Cook throughout and asking probing questions to the several southpaws.