With cricket’s greatest rivalry set to be resumed in Australia at the end of 2021, we’ve taken a look back over 139 years of The Ashes history. As one of sport’s oldest trophies, these regular battles with England have produced plenty of memorable moments.
Following the announcement of six contenders, we’re taking a look at the 2020 Sports Personality of the Year odds to see who is fancied to claim this prestigious award. The winner will be announced on December 20 via a live broadcast from Salford, with voting open to the public during that programme.
England’s Test series against Pakistan got under way in thrilling style as the hosts secured a dramatic fourth-day victory at Old Trafford. However, the tourists will have been encouraged by their performance in Manchester and look good value to hit back in Southampton.
When international sport is finally allowed to resume there will be an enormous amount of world titles waiting to be decided. Even without the rescheduled Olympic games, the sporting calendar will be packed, keeping us glued to our screens as all the unfinished business is resolved.
England battled in vain to try and save the fourth Test at Old Trafford but Australia ran out worthy winners to ensure that they will keep The Ashes. A drawn series is still possible, but the Three Lions have generally been outplayed and would be 3-0 down if it wasn’t for a miraculous escape at Headingley.
England have bounced back from their Cricket World Cup blip in emphatic fashion and are worthy favourites to beat New Zealand in the final at Lord’s. The Black Caps were crushed by Australia in the 2015 decider in Melbourne and may again have their limitations exposed by fired-up hosts.
England are already used to playing in a high-pressure environment heading into the Cricket World Cup semi-finals and that can help them edge out Australia. The Three Lions needed to beat India and New Zealand to get this far and came through both of those tough tests with flying colours.
India were our pre-tournament selection for Cricket World Cup glory and we see no reason to desert them ahead of a semi-final clash with New Zealand. The Men in Blue only lost to England during the round-robin stage, whereas the Black Caps started strongly but finished with three straight defeats.
Australia are expected to wrap up top spot in the Cricket World Cup round-robin table by brushing aside South Africa in Birmingham. The Aussies will be keen to finish at the summit in order to secure a semi-final clash with neighbours New Zealand, rather than having to tackle hosts England.
India can put a little bit of pressure on Australia in the race to top the Cricket World Cup table by seeing off Sri Lanka in Leeds. The Men in Blue have won 12 of the 14 ODI encounters between these sides over the past five years and are a short price to further enhance that head-to-head record.
Pakistan need a miracle to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals and that could make them vulnerable when taking on Bangladesh at Lord’s. The Falcons must win by 316 runs or more to make the top four, while they are automatically out if losing the toss and being forced to field.
West Indies will be disappointed with their Cricket World Cup exploits but they can salvage some pride by seeing off Afghanistan in Leeds. Their opponents are assured of picking up the round-robin stage wooden spoon for finishing bottom of the table following eight straight defeats.
India suffered a first Cricket World Cup defeat against England on Sunday but are expected to bounce straight back when returning to Edgbaston to take on Bangladesh. The Tigers will be content with their efforts so far, but have lost to three of the teams in the top four and must now face the other.
Sri Lanka still have the faintest of hopes of reaching the Cricket World Cup semi-finals and are value to beat an already-eliminated West Indies in Durham. The Crusaders have won four of the last five ODI encounters between these underachieving sides and should be hungrier for success here.