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The 2023 Ashes series is starting from June 16 and will continue till the last day of July 2023. The five venues will be Edgbaston, Lord's, Headingley, Old Trafford, and The Oval. Australia are the holders of the Ashes going into the series, having won the last series at home 4–0. The series will begin the 2023–2025 ICC World Test Championship. The Ashes is Widely regarded as the biggest Test rivalry in cricket. This is where the heroes are born. Several heroes and legends emerge from the Ashes courtesy of their performances with bat and ball. In this article, we'll have a look at the players who have scored the most runs in the history of a single Ashes series.
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Most runs scored by batsmen in an Ashes series (Top Five):
Sir Donald Bradman – 974 runs in five Tests and seven innings
Sir Donald Bradman topping this list is not a surprise at all. He was born to rule the sport and he did that with elegance. The legendary Australian batsman was a most unsettling puzzle for the English bowlers ever since his debut against them and not much had changed when the Aussies toured their great rivals in 1930. Bradman was in imperious form, finishing the tour with an average of 139.14 and scoring four centuries along the way to help Australia come from 1-0 down and win the series 2-1. He scored a game-defining 254 and 232 to help the Aussies win the second and fifth Tests respectively. His other two tons on the tour came when he scored 131 during a loss in the first Test and 334 during a draw in the third.
Wally Hammond – 905 runs in five Tests and nine innings
England legend Wally Hammond dominated Australia's bowling line-up during their tour in 1928-29. He finished the tour with a stunning average of 113.12 and made four centuries to help England register a comfortable 4-1 series win. Hammond scored the first ton which came in England's first innings of the second Test when he made 251. His second century was another double ton and it came in the first innings of the third Test. Hammond's other two centuries came in the fourth Test after he made an unbeaten 119 in the first innings and 177 in the second.
Mark Taylor – 839 runs in six Tests and 11 innings
The 1989 tour of England was the first Ashes which was conducted of six matches. It came as a highly productive one for Mark Taylor who had just made his debut for the Aussies earlier that year. He finished the tour with an average of 83.90 and scored two centuries and five fifties, including a best of 219. He scored 136 in the opening innings of the first Test and his 219 came in the fifth Test. Australia won both the matches in which Taylor scored a century and he was consistent throughout the tour. Australia eventually won the series 4-0 after claiming victories in the second and fourth Tests as well.
Sir Donald Bradman – 810 runs in five Tests and nine innings
Bradman led the 1936-37 Ashes with a 3-2 victory for the hosts. He scored three centuries as well as a fifty at an average of 90 during that series to help his team come back from being 2-0 down to win the series. Unsurprisingly, his three tons came in the three winning efforts for the hosts in the third, fourth, and fifth Tests. He scored 270 while batting at seven in the second innings of the third Test. Sir Donald made a crucial 212 in the second innings of the fourth Test and also managed 169 in the opening innings of the fifth Test.
Steve Smith – 774 runs in four Tests and seven innings
This is the most recent series on the list. Steve Smith's heroics in the 2019 Ashes tour will live long in memory for cricket fans. He made his Test comeback after a year-long ban due to ball-tampering. Smith wasn't just up against England's strong bowling line-up but also a hostile crowd desperate to see him fail. Smith batted like a man possessed and made three tons and three fifties at an average of 110.57. He could have possibly gotten more runs but had to sit out one Test after suffering a concussion due to a knock to the head courtesy of a Jofra Archer bouncer. Smith scored 144 in the first and 142 in the second innings of the opening Test. He then made 211 in the fourth Test after recovering from his concussion and helped Australia draw the series 2-2 to retain the Ashes.
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Most runs scored by batsmen in an Ashes series (Top Ten):
| Player | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 | 0 | 4s | 6s |
| DG Bradman (AUS) | 5 | 7 | 974 | 334 | 139.14 | 4 | - | - | 98 | 0 |
| The Ashes (Australia in England), 1930 | ||||||||||
| WR Hammond (ENG) | 5 | 9 | 905 | 251 | 113.12 | 4 | - | - | 94 | 0 |
| The Ashes (England in Australia), 1928/29 | ||||||||||
| MA Taylor (AUS) | 6 | 11 | 839 | 219 | 83.90 | 2 | 5 | - | 91 | 0 |
| The Ashes (Australia in England), 1989 | ||||||||||
| DG Bradman (AUS) | 5 | 9 | 810 | 270 | 90.00 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 62 | 0 |
| The Ashes (England in Australia), 1936/37 | ||||||||||
| SPD Smith (AUS) | 4 | 7 | 774 | 211 | 110.57 | 3 | 3 | - | 92 | 5 |
| The Ashes (Australia in England), 2019 | ||||||||||
| AN Cook (ENG) | 5 | 7 | 766 | 235* | 127.66 | 3 | 2 | - | 81 | 1 |
| The Ashes (England in Australia), 2010/11 | ||||||||||
| DG Bradman (AUS) | 5 | 8 | 758 | 304 | 94.75 | 2 | 1 | - | 84+ | 4 |
| The Ashes (Australia in England), 1934 | ||||||||||
| H Sutcliffe (ENG) | 5 | 9 | 734 | 176 | 81.55 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 73 | 0 |
| The Ashes (England in Australia), 1924/25 | ||||||||||
| DI Gower (ENG) | 6 | 9 | 732 | 215 | 81.33 | 3 | 1 | - | 89 | 1 |
| The Ashes (Australia in England), 1985 | ||||||||||
| AR Morris (AUS) | 5 | 9 | 696 | 196 | 87.00 | 3 | 3 | - | 35+ | 2 |
| The Ashes (Australia in England), 1948 |
