Interesting Ashes Cricket Stories

I guess that's what makes it such compelling viewing for sports fans.

During the 1990-91 tour of Australia, in which England were having a torrid time, David Gower and John Morris attempted to lighten the mood in the England camp by buzzing a practice match in a pair of Tiger moth aircraft.

England captain, Graham Gooch failed to see the funny side and fined both players £1000 but the bad feeling between him and Gower endured throughout the series and Gower's batting never recovered.

In 1975, England took such a battering from Australian fast bowlers, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thompson that it prompted the resignation of England skipper, Mike Denness. New captain, Tony Greig responded by selecting 33-year-old unknown, David Steele, a prematurely grey haired bespectacled 'bank clerk' who hardly has the Aussies shaking.

Despite appearances he batted off the front foot against the Australian onslaught, scoring a half century on his debut, becoming a national hero in the process.

One of the most controversial incidents took place during the, so called, 'Botham Ashes' of 1981. England all-rounder Ian Botham was the hero of the hour as England faced disaster in the follow-on, only to recover and then sensationally win the match at Headingley.

So unlikely was this turnaround that Australian players, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh placed a bet against themselves at 500 – 1 the night before that England would win.

Such a revelation now would result in life bans but their commitment was never questioned at the time, given their fiercely competitive reputations. Their excuse was that the odds were 'too stupid to pass up!'

You can be sure that whenever England and Australia meet to contest The Ashes, incident and controversy will not be far behind.