Six series-defining moments

The series scoreline could not be more emphatic. The statistics tell their own one-sided story of Mitchell Johnson’s unyielding superiority with the ball, and of Chris Rogers’, David Warner’s and Brad Haddin’s relentless dominance with the bat.

But these are the key moments upon which Australia’s march to reclaim the Ashes was launched, in the order in which they unfolded across a remarkable summer.

Captain Courageous

When Michael Clarke was bounced out for a duck on the first day in Brisbane, England’s bowlers celebrated in the belief the Australian captain’s problems against the short ball would render him their bunny all series. So his defiant, attack-from-the-outset century in the second innings was as much a symbol for Clarke’s leadership as it was a fulcrum on which the rival teams’ fortunes shifted. Suddenly, England was forced to confront the reality that the bowling plans that had worked so well for them during the home Ashes summer were now sorely and irreparably out of date. 

Watch Clarke's century here.

Call to Arms

The verbal showdown that began with David Warner’s observation that England’s players betrayed “scared eyes” and culminated in Clarke warning James Anderson to expect “a broken f@#*’in arm” might have cost the Australian captain 20% of his match fee. But it also became a rallying point for his team and sent a clear message to the tourists that they were up against an opponent hellbent on winning at all costs. That mindset was exemplified by Australia’s willingness to target England’s tailenders with short-pitched bowling, reportedly prompting queries from England’s brains trust as to whether Australia’s tactics were within the laws – never mind the spirit – of the game.

Watch the Clarke-Anderson showdown here.

Trott’s Turmoil

The seeds of doubt about his capacity to deal comfortably with Johnson’s extreme pace were sown in Jonathan Trott’s mind during the one-day tournament that followed the Ashes series in England. That was when Johnson rattled the helmet of the man around whom the rest of England’s batters regularly performed. Trott’s two meek dismissals in Brisbane followed by confirmation of a stress-related illness that prompted his immediate return home left a yawning hole in England’s line-up, in their pre-tour planning and in the dressing room where the highly respected and unquestionably talented Trott played such an integral role.

Watch Trott's initial troubles here.

Carberry’s Clanger

Rated as one of England’s best fielders, Michael Carberry was set to get England back in the second Test and maybe the series when Brad Haddin looped a top-edged cut shot from Monty Panesar to him late on the first day in Adelaide. The simple catch would have sent Haddin packing for five, and seen England seize the advantage on a finely-balanced day as Australia fell to 6-266. But somehow, the ball bobbled from Carberry’s grasp and Haddin went on to score 118, his team’s total blew out to 570 and England was left to try and recover lost ground, a mission that moved further and further beyond their reach with each passing day.

Watch England's fielding woes here.

Johnson’s Magic Spell

Despite the fear he instilled with his speed and control, England worked hard to convince themselves Mitchell Johnson’s match-winning effort in Brisbane was a one-off. That he would revert to type and begin spraying the ball about as soon as batsmen got on top of him, and that turnaround would occur in Adelaide where the flatter, slower pitch would negate his weapons – pace and bounce. So when Johnson pierced Alastair Cook’s defence late on day two and then tore through their middle and lower orders the following afternoon with a devastating spell that yielded 5-12 from four electrifying overs of full, fast bowling the message was clear that this was a different fast bowler to any the tourists had countered in recent times. And the prospect of facing him in Perth palpably sent chills through every member of England’s traumatised batting order.

Watch Johnson run rampant here.

Watto Way to Regain the Urn

Shane Watson’s battle with flaws in his batting technique came to exemplify Australia’s failed 2013 Ashes campaign in England – a repeated failure to counter England’s strict and methodical plans that had kept Australia under their thumbs since 2009. While the result of the third Test and the Ashes were pretty much decided when Watson resumed his second innings on the fourth morning in Perth, the manner in which he brutalised England’s bowlers on his way to just his second Test century on Australian soil – scored from just 106 balls – was crucial for two reasons. Not only did it signify that the mental hold England had established over so many Australians in recent years past was now broken and that Watson had negotiated an important junction in his career, it showed the complete contempt Australia had developed for England’s once feared bowlers. It also effectively convinced Graeme Swann, the tourists’ premier spinner, to end his cricket career then and there.

Watch Watson's century here.