Botham, Stokes, Warne – The most extraordinary Ashes performances in history

The 2023 Ashes Test Series kicked off last week, with England looking to take down Australia in their own backyard. Unfortunately, it's not off to a great start for England, with Australia winning the first Test by two wickets with 27 balls remaining on the fifth day.

It's been eight years since England won an Ashes series, drawing one 2-2 and losing two in Australia 4-0.

Under new coach Brendan McCullum, England has developed the new tactics of 'Baz Ball,' in which the England players are much more aggressive and attack-minded with the ball and bat.

Since the inaugural Ashes series in 1883, the cricket world has seen some of the most incredible performances, from big-hitting batsmen to perfectly executed bowling.

Here are the most incredible Ashes performances in history!

Still seen as the greatest cricketer of all time, Australian Don Bradman saved his best Ashes series for 1930, producing 974 runs in five matches with an average of 139.14.

In the third test at Headingley, Bradman scored an extraordinary 334 runs in one day of play, being the only player ever to score 300 or more in one session.

Current England captain Ben Stokes produced match-saving heroics in 2019, needing 359 runs to win the match. Stokes captivated the passion and skill for his country, scoring 135 runs.

As his fellow players were dropping out like flies, Stokes stayed still at the very end with last batter Jack Leach, earning England the win and creating a memory England fans will remember forever.

After retiring from captaincy and England badly beaten in the first two Ashes Tests, Ian Botham showed why England needed him in the third Test, producing 149 runs and leading England to victory.

Botham scored another crucial century in the fifth Test at Old Trafford, but it wasn't just the bat he was handy with, destroying Australia's batsman by taking ten wickets in the sixth Test.

The late great Shane Warne is the best spin bowler in history, taking 708 Test wickets with hundreds coming against England in the Ashes.

It was in Ashes in debut in 1993 where his story began when Warne bowled the 'Ball of the Century' to England batsman Mike Gatting. The Aussie spun the ball almost a meter and crashed it into the stumps, leaving Gatting speechless.

Former England captain Alistair Cook led his side in exemplary fashion in the 2010/11 Ashes series, producing an unbelievable 235 runs not out in the first Test in Brisbane.

Cook led his team to a sensational 3-1 victory in Australia, hitting 766 runs for the series, averaging 127.66 an inning.

Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath personified Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-90s to the late 2000s, but in the Ashes of 97, he took control.

At Lords, McGrath produced the most incredible bowling performance in Test history, grabbing eight wickets and only conceding 38 runs as England were bowled all out for 77.