Ashes 2015: the A to Z of Ashes history

The battle for the famous urn recommences on Wednesday and if the past is any guide the five-Test series will continue to provide cricket’s greatest spectacle

A man so good he colonised the first two letters of the alphabet, Allan Border revitalised and revolutionised Australian cricket with a ferocious toughness that underpinned a generation of glory. In the first instance an unwilling leader, his players soon knew him as Captain Grumpy – but they quickly learned that it was worth it. In 1987 he led them to World Cup victory, beating England in the final, and then, in the 1989 Ashes, his team dispensed one of sport’s great surprise kickings. Hitting six half-centuries in a 4-0 win, Border’s contribution to the cause earned him the Australian of the Year award, and things continued in similar vein, the urn retained by 3-0 in 1990-91 and 4-1 in 1993. The culture he imposed sustains even now.

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