3 instances of Ashes whitewash in cricket history

Australia's dominance in the recent Ashes series has put England on the brink of another winless outing on Australian shores. Since 2011, England have failed to win a single Ashes Test in Australia and have been a pale shadow of their best.

Ashes Whitewash has happened before as well

There have been instances in the past as well where a side has dominated the opposition over the course of the five-Test match series.

While a whitewash between the two teams has been a rare occurrence, the last two decades have withnessed the feat being achieved twice.

In this article, we look at three instances of an Ashes whitewash between the biggest rivalries in cricket.

---

1. The Ashes 1920-21

The 1920-21 series marked the first time in history where a team managed to whitewash the opposition by a 5-0 margin.

Australia had a mammoth 377-run win by Australia in the first Test at Sydney. The Kangaroos then decimated the English side completely in the next Test at Melbourne by an innings and 91 runs.

The third Test in Adelaide proved to be a high scoring encounter with the two sides scoring in excess of 350 in each of the four innings. England, for the first time in the series, managed to cross the 300-run mark and gained a substantial 93 run lead in the first innings.

However, the Aussies, on the back of hundreds from Charles Kelleway (147), Warwick Armstrong (121) and Nip Pellew (104) came back strong. They posted 582 runs on the board as England were bundled out for 370. The victory helped Australia gain an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series with two Test matches to play.

The fourth and fifth Tests were a mere formality as Australia continued to march ahead and dominate England. While Arthur Mailey starred in the fourth Test with 13 wickets in the match, Charles Macartney's 170 stole the show in the final Test in Sydney. Warwick Armstrong and Co. became the first team in Ashes history to complete a 5-0 series whitewash.

2. The Ashes 2006-07

Led by captain Ricky Ponting's 576 runs, Australia managed to whitewash England in an Ashes series for the first time since 1921.

Almost a century later, in 2006-07, Andrew Flintoff-led England team became the second England team in history to concede the series 5-0.

Australia started the first Test in Brisbane, putting on a mammoth 602/9 in the first innings on the back of a superb 196 from captain Ricky Ponting. In reply, England were bundled out for just 157 runs. England could never recover from there on as they lost their grip on the match and eventually lost by 277 runs.

England started the next Test in Adelaide in supreme fashion, gaining a slender 38-run lead after posting 551 in the first innings. But Shane Warne's four-wicket haul dented their hopes. The visitors were bundled out for 129 as Australia comfortably won the Test match by six wickets.

The next two Tests in Perth and Melbourne further exposed England's vulnerability. Ponting and Co. marched along to register a comprehensive win by 206 runs and an innings and 99 runs respectively. Michael Hussey was the top performer in Perth. Meanwhile, Warne once again weaved his magic with the ball picking up seven wickets at his home ground in Melbourne.

With the series already conceded, England walked out in Sydney in their quest to save the blushes from an embarrassing whitewash. However, their batting, which had been their achilles heel throughout the tour, once again let them down. Conceding 98 run lead, England were bowled out for a mere 129 runs in the second innings. Australia chased down 46 to complete a second whitewash against them in 86 years.

Ricky Ponting topped the run charts with 576 runs across five Tests at a whopping average of 82. Stuart Clark, with 26 dismissals, ended up as the highest wicket-taker.

3. The Ashes 2013-14

Mitchell Johnson was the wrecker in chief during the 2013-14 Ashes series with 37 wickets in five Tests

Seven years later, England were once again victims of a 5-0 Ashes defeat, albeit under the captaincy of Alastair Cook.

The Aussies were all over the English side right from the first Test in Brisbane. England were beaten by 381 runs with Mitchell Johnson accounting for a total of nine scalps in the Test match.

England sank further into the next Test in Adelaide. They were bundled out for a mere 172 runs in response to Australia's first innings score of 570. Setting a target of 531 for victory, England were once again left with no answers for Johnson's pace. The West Australian wrecked havoc to set up another 218-run win.

Down and out, England's woes compounded further in the next two Tests as Australia were all over them. While England's batters provided some resistance in the third Test in Perth, they eventually lost the Test match by 150 runs.

The next Test in Melbourne on Boxing Day eve turned out to be a fairytale outing for Alastair Cook and Co. They managed to gain a slender 51-run first innings lead - for the first time on the tour. However, all England's hopes were dashed in the second innings. Nathon Lyon's fifer skittled England out for 179 as Australia chased down 232 with eight wickets in hand.

In the final Test match in Sydney, Australia posted 326 batting first in the first innings. However, the Australian seamers came to the party with Ryan Harris, Johnson and Peter Siddle getting three wickets each to restrict England to 155. Australia then batted England out of the game, posting a daunting target of 448 for the chase.

Bruised and buried, England's shambolic showing with the bat continued as they were bowled out for 166. This handed Australia a 281-run win in the fifth and final Test and the series 5-0.