Ashes 1953: How England Beat Australia In An Iconic Series The Last Time A British Monarch Was Crowned
England had come up with a different approach in 1953 to win the Ashes series in the coronation year which was unlike anything that is expected from Ben Stokes & Co. in 2023.
The coronation of Britain's King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort is one of the biggest talking points of the day. The monarch is all set to be crowned at noon (local time) on Saturday, May 6, at Westminister Abbey, which has been the venue for this royal affair for close to 900 years.
The last time a monarch was crowned in London was way back in 1953, a summer that also witnessed an iconic Ashes series. Much like a refreshing 'Bazball' approach that the England team is playing this time around, on that occasion too the Three Lions had played a new brand of cricket which was unlike anything that Ben Stokes and Co. have been playing in the build-up to the Ashes of 2023.
The 1953 Ashes series was significant for England as they broke Australia's five-series winning streak to clinch the five-match series 1-0 and bag their first Ashes since 1932-33. The series is best remembered for the resolute batting of Trevor Bailey, who earned the nickname "Barnacle" for his super defensive but extremely effective batting.
Bailey was the third-highest run scorer for England in this series and ended up accumulating 222 runs from his 7 innings in the Test series with a highest score of 71. He had another fifty-plus score in the series but it was the time he spent in the middle that made his contribution all the more valuable.
In the first Test match of this series which ended in a draw, Australia posted 249 in their first innings and England looked in trouble in the first innings. And even though Bailey may have scored just 13 runs in the first innings, he batted 100 minutes which was the second longest time taken by an English batter in their first innings which ultimately made it easier for them to pull off a draw.
He batted 50 minutes in the first innings of the second Test and 257 in the second innings of this Test which is where he also registered his highest score of this series as
England produced another draw this time at Lord's. Bailey then batted for 115 minutes in the only England innings of the Manchester Test which also ended in a draw. He might have got run out in the first innings of the Leeds Test but was out there for 261 minutes in the second innings as the fourth Test ended in a draw.
In the fifth Test which turned out to be the difference between the two sides in the eventual scoreline, Bailey was the second-highest contributor for England with 64 runs which he scored across 222 minutes on the pitch. The lower middle order batter's services were not required in the second innings as England had clinched an 8-wicket win. Apart from his heroics with the bat, the right-arm fast-medium bowling of Bailey produced 8 wickets in the series.
But England's historic win that summer wasn't about Bailey alone, it was as much, if not more about English captain Leonard Hutton's consistency with the bat. He finished as the series' leading run-scorer, ending with 443 runs from 9 innings at an average of 55.37 with the help of 3 half-centuries and a hundred. In the final Test which England won to clinch their first Ashes since 1934, Hutton scored 82 runs in the first innings before being run out for 17 in the second innings where the home team needed 132 to win.
Denis Compton was the other England star whose contributions made a difference that summer for England. He scored 234 runs from 8 innings at an average of 33.42 with the help of two half-centuries and a highest score of 61. With the ball in hand, none came close to the kind of form Alec Bedser was in. He scalped 7 for 55 in the first innings of the opening Test and another 7 for 44 in the second innings. The right-arm fast-medium bowler completed his third successive five-wicket haul as he returned with figures of 5 for 105 runs in the first innings of the second Test match before an impressive 3 for 77 in the second innings.
In the Manchester Test, Bedser was England's pick of the bowlers in the first innings, picking 5 wickets for 115. He chipped in with 2 wickets for 14 runs in his 4 overs in the second innings. In the fourth Test, the Surrey star picked 6 for 95 in the first innings before 1 for 65 in the second. In the final Test match, Bedser was among the best bowlers for England along with Bailey (4/86) as he scalped 3 for 88. Alec Bedser bowled 11 overs in the second innings and did not get a wicket but with Tony Lock's fifer (5/45) and Jim Laker's (4/75) performances, England had managed to script a historic win.
In 2023 too, England face a similar situation. They have not been able to regain the Ashes since their last win in 2015. In the 2017-18 series, Australia won 4-0 in Australia. In 2019, Australia toured England to draw the series 2-2 to retain the Ashes before winning 4-0 at their home in 2021-22.
Since then though, a new leadership has taken charge of England cricket and the side has produced positive results. Will that along with the beginning of the reign of a new monarch together witness an England win in the Ashes?
The first Test begins in Birmingham on Friday, June 16.
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