The Ashes: England player ratings - Stuart Broad signs off in style, Zak Crawley answers critics
England's 49-run win at The Kia Oval in the fifth Test ensured this summer's Ashes series finished level at 2-2, although it was not enough to prevent Australia retaining the urn - here's how we rated all 14 England players involved...
Tuesday 1 August 2023 14:56, UK
Take a look at how we rated England's players out of 10 after this summer's Ashes series against Australia finished in a 2-2 draw...
Zak Crawley 8 (out of 10)
Few would have picked Crawley to be England's leading run-scorer (480 with a 53.33 average) at the start of this summer's Ashes series, with plenty of question marks over whether the opener would still be part of the team come the fifth Test.
But the right-hander emphatically answered those critics from the moment he clubbed the first ball of the series for four en route to 61 at Edgbaston, with a brilliant 189 in the drawn Test at Old Trafford and 73 at The Oval in the second innings the crowning moments.
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Ben Duckett 7
It was a bit of an all-or-nothing series for the left-hander, with scores of 98 and 83 at Lord's plus two innings in the 40s at The Oval in among dismissals for singles figures and others where he failed to capitalise on a start.
Nevertheless, Duckett seems to have struck up a good understanding with Crawley and there is no reason for head coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes not to continue backing them as England's opening partnership.
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Joe Root 8
England's leading Test run-scorer again proved his continued importance to the team, finishing second in the run charts for the hosts behind Crawley, with 412 at an average of 51.50 - the highlight of which was an unbeaten 118 at Edgbaston, and half-centuries at Old Trafford and The Oval.
Root showed how much he has become a genuine second spin option for England with the ball as well, particularly in spells where Moeen Ali had been unable to bowl due to injury, and finished with six wickets to his name at an average of 28.66.
Harry Brook 8
Another strong series for the 24-year-old Brook, who has firmly established himself as an important element in England's middle-order and contributed a total of 363 runs at an average of just over 40 across the five matches.
Half-centuries at Lord's and Old Trafford, a vital 75 in the second innings of England's win at Headingley and a highest score of 85 at The Oval were the highlights for a player who is surely only going to keep getting better and better.
Jonny Bairstow 7
One of the stars of England's first summer of the McCullum-Broad era in 2022, Bairstow had to shoulder the extra responsibility of keeping wicket in the Ashes after being preferred with the gloves to Ben Foakes.
It was a role he grew into after some high-profile errors early on which led to questions over whether Foakes would be recalled, but the Yorkshireman was inconsistent with the bat despite scores of 78 at Edgbaston and The Oval, and an unbeaten 99 at Old Trafford.
Moeen Ali 7
Tempted out of Test retirement due to an injury suffered by front-line spinner Jack Leach which ruled him out of the entire series, Moeen had to battle a finger injury suffered in the first Test and a groin strain which kept him off the field during Australia's first innings at The Oval.
A score of 54 in the drawn Test at Old Trafford was his most notable contribution with the bat other than several cameo appearances, but his spin bowling proved a valuable asset - particularly his 3-76 on the final day as England levelled the series with a 49-run win in the fifth Test.
Ollie Pope 6
Pope's series was over before it really got going after he suffered a dislocated shoulder while fielding in the second Test at Lord's which ruled him out of the remaining three matches.
That came on the back of making 31 and 14 in the two-wicket defeat at Edgbaston, although England's No 3 batter was able to contribute 42 in the first innings at Lord's before making just three second time around.
Ben Stokes 7
His longstanding left-knee problem meant England's captain was only able to bowl 29 overs during the entire series, although he was still able to take three wickets at an average of just under 30.
A valiant 155 in a losing effort at Lord's and two half-centuries ensured he made some valuable contributions with the bat though, while he never wavered from making bold captaincy decisions even when some of those were criticised.
Mark Wood 8
The Durham fast bowler made an immediate impact on his return to Test cricket after 18 months out of it, taking three wickets in each innings with the ball and putting in some crucial contributions with the bat as the hosts triumphed in the third Test at Headingley.
In total, Wood finished the series with 14 wickets at an average of a shade over 20, causing all sorts of problems for Australia's batters with his pace and bounce whether it was with the new ball or as a change bowler.
Chris Woakes 8
Another player who made his return to the side in the third Test and became a key contributor as England fought back, Woakes shone with the bat as well as the ball.
Only Stuart Broad ended the series as an England bowler with more wickets, with the Warwickshire man claiming 19 scalps at an average of just 18.14 - which included a crucial 4-50 in the second innings of the fifth Test - and was nominated by Australia as the host's player of the series.
Ollie Robinson 7
Robinson's participation in the series was curtailed when he suffered back spasms in the field during the third Test at Headingley which saw him not bowl in Australia's second innings of England's three-wicket win.
Up until that point he had bowled economically though, taking five wickets in the match at both Edgbaston and Lord's, and finished the series with 10 wickets at an average of 28.40.
Stuart Broad 9
It was apt that, two days after he announced this would be his cricketing swansong, Broad claimed the final two wickets of the match as England secured victory in the fifth Test and denied Australia a first series win on these shores since 2001.
The 37-year-old seamer starred throughout the entire series though and finished as England's leading wicket-taker with 22 victims, including best figures of 4-65, at an average of 28.40. He wanted to bow out on a high, and he certainly did just that, including passing 600 career Test wickets in the process.
Josh Tongue 7
The 25-year-old pace bowler only got one opportunity to feature in the Ashes after making his Test debut against Ireland in June but showed plenty of glimpses of his talent in the 43-run defeat at Lord's.
Tongue claimed the notable scalps of David Warner, Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith in the first innings and followed that up by getting Warner and Smith again in the second to finish with match figures of 5-151.
James Anderson 6
England's evergreen leading Test wicket-taker turned 41 on the penultimate day of the series and has no intention of stopping any time soon, but it was a relatively quiet Ashes by Anderson's standards.
In the four Test matches he played in the series, the seamer took just five wickets at an average of 85.40 - albeit at an economy rate of just over two runs an over.
