No rivalry in cricket is bigger than the rivalry of “The Ashes” between England and Australia. And why not? After all, it is about retrieving the metaphoric ashes of cricket and an urn symbolic of their respective pride for both of these nations. A century coming in such situations where the pride of the nation is at stake is a matter of pride itself for any cricketer. That’s why we have brought you a record that might carry a special place in the hearts of a few Australian cricketers. So, let’s end your suspense and look at the five Australian players to score most centuries in the Ashes Test series.
Australian players to score most centuries in the Ashes Test series:
#5 Greg Chappell – 8:
Greg Chappell holds the fifth spot among the Australians to score most centuries in the Ashes. He began his career with a 108 on his debut in the second Test of Ashes 1970. Greg then scored two more in the Ashes of 1972. He scored 131 in the second and 113 in the and final Test of the Ashes 1972.
After three years, in the Ashes series of 1975, Greg Chappell added two more to his Ashes century count. He hit a 144 and a 102 in the 4th and 6th Tests of the series, respectively. As his sixth century in Ashes, Greg scored a 112 in the 2nd Test of Ashes 1977. His last two Ashes centuries came in the form of a 117 and a 115 in the 1st and 3rd Tests of the Ashes 1982.
#4 Arthur Morris – 8:
Arthur Morris takes the 4th spot on this list with as many centuries as Greg Chappell. However, he beats Chappell in terms of his batting average and fewer matches. Arthur opened his Ashes century account in the 3rd Tests of Ashes 1946/47. He followed this century with two more in both innings of the next Test match.
Morris continued with this consistency in next year’s Ashes as well. He scored three more centuries in the Ashes 1948. A 105 in the 2nd, a 182 in the 4th, and a196 in the 5th Test increased his count of Ashes centuries to six. Arthur added two more to this count in 1951 and 1954, respectively. He scored 203 in the 2nd Test of the 1951 Ashes series and finally 153 in the 1st Test of Ashes 1954.
#3 Steve Waugh – 10:
The legendary Australian captain Steve Waugh is third on this list with ten centuries in the Ashes Test series. The ICC Hall of Famer scored his first two in the 1st and 2nd Tests of the Ashes of 1989. He hit an unbeaten 177 in the 1st and another unbeaten 152 in the end Test. Then came an unbeaten 157 in the 4th Test of Ashes 1993. Waugh scored his next two Ashes centuries in both innings of the 3rd Test in 1997. He scored 108 in the first and 116 in the second innings.
Steve Waugh hit two more centuries next year in the Ashes 1998/99. He hit a 112 in the 1st Test and an unbeaten 122 in the 4th. The Ashes of 2001 added two more to his count as he scored a 105 in the 1st Test and an unbeaten 157 in the 5th. Steve Waugh ended his tally of 10 Ashes centuries with a 102 in the 5th Test of Ashes 2003.
#2 Steve Smith – 11:
Steve Smith is hailed as the Greatest Test Batter of the modern era, not just because of his Test average of over 61 and 27 Test centuries but also for his Ashes heroics. Smith stands second on this list with 11 Ashes centuries. He scored an unbeaten 138 in the 5th Test of the away Ashes tour in 2013 to kick start his journey. Smith followed it with 111 and 115 respectively in the 3rd and 4th Tests of the home Ashes four months later.
A double ton in the form of 215 in the 2nd Test and 143 in the 5th in the Ashes series of 2015 increased Smith’s count of Ashes centuries to five. Then came the 2017 Ashes tour, where he scored three more centuries. Thanks to his heroics, Australia destroyed England for a 4-0 series win. However, it was Smith’s last three Ashes centuries that became the highlight of his career.
Coming after completing a year-long ban post the ball-tampering scandal, Smith reannounced himself by scoring centuries in both innings of the 1st Test and a double in the 4th. These centuries were the reason a new underdog Australia was able to retain the Ashes away from home and reclaim the pride they lost in South Africa.
#1 Sir Donald Bradman – 19:
Who else could be at the top of this list other than Sir Don Bradman? After all, he scored 19 out of his 29 Test centuries in the Ashes tours. Bradman initiated his count of Ashes centuries with a 112 in the 3rd and a 123 in the final Test of Ashes 1928/29. He scored a century, two double centuries, and a triple in next year’s Ashes. The triple century(334) he scored in the 3rd Test of this series was his career-best.
Between 1932 and 1946, Bradman added 11 more Ashes centuries to his account. This included one triple century and four double centuries. To wrap up his count of 19 centuries in the Ashes Test series, he scored a 138 in the 1st Test and an unbeaten 173 in the 4th Test of the away Ashes tour of 1948. Bradman averaged 101.39 after this match which was his second-last International appearance. Unfortunately, he got out for a two-ball duck in Australia’s only innings in the final Test ending his career with an average of 99.94.
