MELBOURNE — The 2021-22 Ashes series was decided with brutal efficiency. Australia, seizing every critical moment, secured the urn within just 12 days of cricket, winning the first three Tests in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne. England’s hopes were extinguished in a haze of dropped catches, batting collapses, and strategic missteps. Here are the 10 moments that decided the destination of the urn.
The Gabba: A Tone-Setting First Morning
The series began under grey Brisbane skies, with England winning a crucial toss. Yet, the decision to bowl first backfired spectacularly. England’s attack, missing the injured Stuart Broad and James Anderson, lacked penetration. David Warner, on 48, was dropped by Rory Burns in the slips off Ben Stokes. It was a portent of things to come. Warner and Marnus Labuschagne capitalised, building a platform that allowed Australia to post 425. England, mentally and physically battered, were bowled out for 147 by stumps on Day Two. The tone was set.
England’s first innings was a procession, but one dismissal stood out. "It was the moment the series slipped away," former captain Michael Vaughan would later say. That moment was the dismissal of Joe Root for a duck, caught at slip off Pat Cummins’s first ball as Australian captain. England’s best batter, in prime form, was gone. The psychological blow was seismic.
Adelaide Lights: England's Nightmare Under Lights
The day-night Test in Adelaide was England’s best chance to strike back. After restricting Australia to 473, England’s top order navigated to 150/2. Then, under the floodlights with the pink ball, the game—and the series—swung irrevocably. Jhye Richardson and Mitchell Starc ignited a collapse of 4 for 19. The key wicket was again Root, bowled by a Starc inswinger for 62. From a position of strength, England folded for 236, conceding a 237-run lead they could never recover from.
England’s second innings featured a moment of pure farce that encapsulated their tour. Dawid Malan and Root were building a stubborn partnership when Malan called Root through for a sharp single. Nathan Lyon’s throw from mid-wicket was wild, but it ricocheted off Root’s body at the non-striker’s end and onto the stumps, with Malan stranded. It was a freak dismissal that felt like fate was against them.
The MCG: The Final Nail in Three Days
Trailing 2-0, England needed a miracle at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. They won the toss and batted on a green-tinged pitch. What followed was one of the most dismal batting displays in Ashes history. Scott Boland, making his debut, produced a spell of 6 for 7 in 4 overs as England were skittled for 68 in under two sessions. The collapse was triggered by two key moments:
- Root’s Edge: Again, the captain fell early, caught behind for a duck off Cummins.
- Boland’s Introduction: His first over was a maiden, his second claimed two wickets, and the match was over.
Boland’s figures of 6 for 7 were scarcely believable. The local hero, in front of his home crowd, sealed the Ashes. England coach Chris Silverwood could only lament, "We didn’t get the basics right. We didn’t get the first innings runs we needed, and it’s cost us."
The Captaincy & The Omissions
Beyond the on-field moments, critical decisions off it shaped the series. England’s selection for the First Test was baffling. Omitting both Stuart Broad and James Anderson on a Gabba pitch with visible green grass was a decision that drew immediate criticism. It robbed England of experience, control, and menace. Conversely, Pat Cummins’s leadership was calm, aggressive, and tactically astute from ball one.
The Bairstow vs. Carey Duel
While the urn was gone, the Sydney Test provided a flashpoint that defined the series’ animosity. Jonny Bairstow, on 39, ducked a Cameron Green bouncer, casually scratched his mark, and wandered out of his crease. Alex Carey, alert and opportunistic, threw down the stumps. The appeal was upheld. Bairstow was furious, the crowd incensed, but it was within the laws. The moment highlighted the gulf in intensity and sharpness between the sides.
The Unanswered Questions: England's Batting
Throughout the series, England’s batting lineup failed to construct a single innings of substance when it mattered. The top three of Burns, Haseeb Hameed, and Malan averaged in the low 20s. The middle order, barring Root, crumbled under the relentless pressure of Australia’s pace quartet. The inability to post a first-innings total over 300 in any of the first three Tests left their bowlers with an impossible task.
Mitchell Starc summed up the Australian mindset after the Melbourne victory: "We wanted to be ruthless. We didn’t want to give them a sniff, and we’ve been able to do that. To wrap up the Ashes in 12 days is something we’re pretty proud of."
Conclusion: A Chasm in Class and Execution
The 2021-22 Ashes was not decided by one grand moment, but by a relentless accumulation of small, critical incidents where Australia excelled and England failed. From the dropped catch on the first morning to the catastrophic collapse at the MCG, England were perpetually on the back foot. Australia, led superbly by Cummins and armed with a devastating attack, exploited every weakness with clinical precision.
The series served as a stark reminder of the demands of touring Australia. It requires technical excellence, mental fortitude, and flawless execution. England possessed none of these. Australia, seizing every one of these 10 decisive moments, reclaimed the Ashes in the most emphatic fashion possible, leaving England with a mountain of questions and a long road back to credibility in Test cricket.