England’s unforgettable Ashes 2010-11 win Down Under — the last time they outplayed Australia away in the 21st century.
England will begin their Ashes 2025-26 campaign at the Optus Stadium in Perth next week with the weight of history against them. Since the beginning of 2000, England have won only four Test matches against Australia in 30 attempts. They lost 23 games, resulting in a win-loss ratio of 0.173.
However, out of those four wins, three victories came in the 2010-11 series under the leadership of captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower. Remarkably, all of England’s three wins came by an innings. It remains one of the biggest achievements in the modern cricket history of the country. Their record of 13 losses in 15 Tests down under since then increases the weight of the 2010-11 series victory.
Read More: England’s best bowling combination for Ashes 2025-26
Let’s take a look at how England won their only Test series down under in the 21st century.
England’s comprehensive batting blew away Australia in Ashes 2010-11
When England conceded a lead of 221 runs in the first innings of the opening Gabba Test, the visitors were on the back foot within just two days of the trip. Brad Haddin and Michael Hussey recorded their respective centuries. The only way for the visitors to leave their mark in the game was batting for nearly five sessions, and they did that exactly.
All three England batters of the top order registered their centuries to reach 517/1 in 152 overs. Alastair Cook, who remained unbeaten on 235 runs in his marathon innings of 428 balls, stitched up an unbeaten stand of 329 runs for the second wicket. The game ended in a draw, which was the best result for the tourists.
In the second game in Adelaide, England again produced a sound performance with the bat. Kevin Pietersen’s old flavour took him to 227 runs with 33 boundaries and one six, while Cook notched up his second successive century of the tour. Their lead of 375 runs was too much for the hosts, as England went 1-0 up in the series with an innings and 71 runs victory.
The festival reached WACA Stadium in Perth for the third encounter. It used to be a haunting ground for any visiting side, and England were no different. Despite their 78-run opening stand in the first innings, they got bundled out for just 187. In the fourth innings, Ryan Harris’ six wickets blew away the tourists for 123 as Australia leveled the series with a 267-run win.
Going into the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, the excitement grew among the fans. England’s two new ball bowlers, James Anderson and Chris Tremlett, combined to pick eight wickets as the hosts were bundled out for just 98 in their first innings. Subsequently, the top four visiting batters registered their individual half-centuries, while Jonathan Trott stayed unbeaten for 168 runs with 13 boundaries. Australia were bundled out for 258 in the third innings to gift England an innings and 157-run win.
The story of the series for the visitors was their batting contribution. They outplayed Australia’s experienced batters in that department and continued the same trend even in the fifth Sydney Test. Cook registered a huge knock of 189 runs, while Ian Bell and Matt Prior also celebrated their respective centuries to earn a 364-run lead in the first innings.
Anderson and Tremlett shared six wickets between them to collect an innings and 83-run win. For Australia, only Steven Smith got to his half-century at number seven as they were bundled out for only 281.
Read More: Ashes 2025-26: Bazball’s true litmus test; Will Australia bowlers stop England juggernaut?
Alastair Cook and James Anderson – architects for England’s Ashes 2010-11 victory
As highlighted earlier, batting was the main difference between the two sides in the series. England continued to post 500+ scores in the series, which tired the home players mentally and physically. In the batting department, Cook finished as the leading run-getter with 766 runs in seven innings at an average of 127.66. The southpaw bagged three centuries and a couple of fifties with the best score of 235*.
Apart from Cook, all of Strauss, Bell, Pietersen, and Trott crossed the 300-run mark individually with the bat. Trott, to be precise, collected 445 runs at an average of 89. This was the missing puzzle for Australia in the batting order.
Hussey ended as their leading run-getter with 570 runs, while Shane Watson completed 435 runs. But after Brad Haddin’s 360 runs, no home batter crossed the 200-run mark in the series individually.
Anderson was the leading wicket-taker of the Ashes 2010-11 series. He picked up 24 wickets at an average of 26.04 and a strike rate of 53.20. Steven Finn and Tremlett shared 31 wickets between them, while Graeme Swann bagged 15 wickets at 39.80.
Can Ben Stokes’ England repeat Ashes 2010-11 rare heroics in 2025-26?
The million-dollar question stands whether England could achieve what they did 15 years ago and win the urn down under. In the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle, the Ben Stokes-led side drew the home series 2-2 against India. But the challenge will be bigger against skillful and experienced side who are beasts in their home conditions.
The way England have been playing red-ball format in the last three years, they have the potential to land some blows against the home side. The top seven could knock Australia off their lines and lengths. But the massive challenge for them will be collecting 20 wickets.
Can Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley earn the success of Cook-Strauss in the opening partnership? Can Joe Root finally break his poor touch down under? Can Ben Stokes keep himself fresh and fit throughout the seven-week series? Do this England line-up have the hunger and belief to rattle Australia’s batting? Several questions await as the opening game takes centrestage on November 21 at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
Read More: Do England need a better vice captain with Ashes around three months away?
