Ashes 2021-22: Top five performers of the series
The Ashes 2021-22 has finally ended and despite all the hype, it turned out to be a rate one-sided affair. Australia went on to win the series by 4-0. However, there were a few players in the five-match Test series who stood out from the rest. So who were the best performers in the battle for the Urn?
5) Cameron Green:
Chris Green is rated really highly among several cricket pundits. Thus, it would be safe to say that he well and truly lived up to the expectations. Despite being inconsistent with the bat, the all-rounder played some handy knocks. However, it is his bowling that ensured that he ended the series as one of the best performers. He managed to pick 13 wickets in the five Tests and as a matter of fact, even the opposition captain Joe Root struggled against him to an extent.
4) Mark Wood:
In a rather forgettable series, Mark Wood was one of the few positives for them. With the completion of the series, the speedster is one of the few players from the English camp who would have a tick mark beside his name. Wood picked 17 wickets in just four Tests, which includes an amazing six-fer during the fifth Ashes Test at Hobart.
3) Pat Cummins:
Words wouldn’t be enough to describe the contribution of Pat Cummins in this series. Like the previous two editions of the Ashes, the Aussie pacer was the leading wicket-taker. He picked 21 wickets in the four Tests. The bowling average of Australia’s Test captain was as low as 18.05.
2) Scott Boland:
Scott Boland was the surprise package of the series. Although not many people expected him to even feature in any of the Tests, the Victorian wreaked havoc whenever he came to bowl. Despite playing just the three Tests, he picked 18 wickets at an average of 9.56. Thus, he was third on the list of the leading wicket-taker in the Ashes 2021-22.
1) Travis Head:
Despite the presence of several world-class legends, Travis Head was the best performer of the series. There’s a reason why he won the player of the series award. With 359 runs in six innings at an average of 59.50, the middle-order battle was the highest run-scorer of the series as well. Moreover, his hundreds in the first and fifth Tests turned out to be the difference between the two sides.
