The historic Ashes match between England and Australia in 1938 (Source: @PictureSporting/x.com)
In school, history may make you bored, but in the dictionary of cricket, there is no place for the word ‘Bore’. T20’s thrill is known, but the thrills of the Test format are wrapped with excitement, elegance, and a rich heritage that is untouchable.
Among all the Test series in the world, the Ashes is cricket’s crunchiest drama, where tempers pop, history crackles, and every session cooks up a new twist. In that series, the tournament witnessed some masterclasses, but when England put on the second highest Test total, history created on the pitch.
The Oval erupted as England demolished Australia’s bowlers with a ruthless batting assault. Let’s relive the batting show on that day.
Hutton-Leyland duo rip apart Australia with a brutal batting assault
From its fiery birth in 1882, the iconic Test series has grown older with time, and the rivalry between England and Australia has only grown fiercer with every generation. Decade after decade, the iconic series has delivered edge-of-the-seat drama, unforgettable brilliance, and zero dull moments. From historic masterclasses to epic collapses, the Ashes have always kept fans hooked.
Personal knocks and spells are thrilling, but when a team steps up and batters put all their efforts together, the match turns into a spectacle, just as England did in 1938. While facing Australia in the fifth Test of the Ashes 1938, England batted first, and the Oval crowd witnessed pure batting brilliance.
Batting first, Bill Edrich came to open the innings with Leonard Hutton, but the home side faced a setback after Edrich walked away, scoring 12 runs. After his dismissal, Maurice Leyland joined Hutton, and the match created history. The duo dragged England from the end, giving a massive boost.
Stitching a 329-run partnership, the duo completed the 100-run mark, but Leyland had a heartbreak later on. Crossing the 150-run mark, he was eyeing a double ton but fell for a heartbreaking runout in 187 runs. After his dismissal, Hutton kept swinging his bat on high.
Smashing a double century and crossing the 250-run mark, he smashed a dominating triple century, leaving the world stunned. With that knock, the Oval witnessed an Ashes history.
Hardstaff’s unbeaten heroics crush Australia’s hopes completely
With Hutton and Leyland’s brutal batting assault, Australian bowlers were already reeling, but England were left with some more destruction. After the English side lost some consecutive wickets, Australia eyed some domination, but Joe Hardstaff shattered their hope.
Coming to bat at number seven, he raised his bat on high and delivered a masterclass. Smashing another brilliant ton in his Test career, he gave a massive boost to the total. During his innings, his 225-run partnership with Hutton played a massive role in pushing England to put on a record-breaking total.
Depending on the heroics, England put on a massive total of 903 runs on the board and declared the innings. For years, the feat was untouched until Sri Lanka surpassed it in 1997. However, after batting heroics, English bowlers shattered Australia’s batting lineup and won the match by one innings and 579 runs.
The historic Ashes have seen countless milestones, but a feat like this is the rarest. In a sea of records, spells, and cricketing genius, some stand tall, but this one thunders above all.
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