The current Ashes series between Australia and England is the 72nd in all, since the first match between the two sides was played in Melbourne in 1876/77. Since then, hundreds of players have donned the caps for their respective teams, and played thousands of innings .
However, a few in particular have distinguished themselves with the bat. Here are the top five batters of all time in Ashes history, in ascending order.
It should, however, be noted that four of this five can yet by supplanted by Steven Smith, the only man still playing the game. he has currently amassed 2,911 runs, and can even eclipse the three men above him in the all-time list before the current series is over.
David Gower (England 1978-91)
The tall, elegant Gower played in 38 Ashes Test matches and finished with a total of 3,037 runs, scored at an average of 46.01. His record included 9 centuries and a further 11 fifties, with a best of 215, made at Edgbaston in 1985.
Steve Waugh (Australia 1986-2003)
Waugh was not also one of the best right-hand batters of his day, but was also a successful captain, leading Australia to 16 consecutive Test wins as well as victory in the 1999 World Cup. He played in 45 Ashes matches and accumulated 3,173 runs. His tally included 10 hundreds and 14 half centuries.
Allan Border (Australia 1978-93)
Another highly successful captain, Border, a left-handed batter, amassed a record 11,174 Test runs until Brian Lara surpassed that. He played in 42 Ashes Tests, during which time he scored a total of 3,222 runs at 55.55, including seven centuries and 19 fifties.