Ashes 2023: Australia Retain 2-2 Drawn Series — Edgbaston 2-Wicket Thriller (Cummins 44*, Lyon 16*, 55-Run 9th Wicket Stand), Lord's Win 43 Runs (Stokes 155 in Vain), Leeds & Oval England Wins, Manchester Draw; Starc 23 Wickets, Khawaja 496 Runs

The 2023 Ashes series in England — 5 Tests across 5 venues from June to July 2023 — finished 2-2, with Australia retaining The Ashes they had won 4-0 in 2021-22. Australia took an early 2-0 series lead after winning at Edgbaston and Lord's, but England — under Ben Stokes' Bazball philosophy — won two of the final three Tests to square the series. Australia's retention of The Ashes without winning the series illustrated the urn's unique retention rules: only the holders need to draw; England needed to win the series to regain the urn. 1st Test Edgbaston Birmingham (June 16–20, 2023): Australia won by 2 wickets. England declared at 393/8 and bowled Australia out for 386, taking a lead of 7 runs. England then scored 273 in their 2nd innings, setting Australia 281 to win. With Australia reeling at 193/8 — seemingly heading for defeat — Pat Cummins (44 not out) and Nathan Lyon (16) added 55 for the 9th wicket in a partnership of remarkable composure and skill under pressure. Usman Khawaja's 65 off 197 balls had laid a platform before the late-order rescue. The winning runs came from Cummins squeezing a short ball to the boundary at deep third, where Harry Brook's diving stop couldn't prevent the boundary. A 2-wicket win for Australia in one of the great Ashes finishes. 2nd Test Lord's (June 28 – July 2, 2023): Australia won by 43 runs and took a 2-0 series lead. Australia's 1st innings of 416 featured David Warner 66, Travis Head 77, and Steven Smith 85 not out, providing a total with substance. Ben Stokes fought magnificently in England's 2nd innings — scoring 155 as England chased 371 to win — but Australia prevailed by 43 runs with their bowlers holding their nerve. 3rd Test Headingley Leeds (July 6–9, 2023): England won by 3 wickets. England's 'Bazball' revival began at Headingley: Australia were bowled out for 263 and 224, with England making 237 and then 254/7 to complete a tense 3-wicket win and get back to 1-2. 4th Test Old Trafford Manchester (July 19–23, 2023): Match drawn. England's 592 was the dominant score — a first innings of devastating quality on a flat pitch — but rain and the size of England's total meant Australia needed only to avoid defeat. Australia's 214/5 in their 2nd innings was enough to draw the match with no result possible. 5th Test The Oval London (July 27–31, 2023): England won by 49 runs and levelled the series 2-2. England's 283 & 395 set Australia 334 to win, which the tourists fell short of by 49 runs. Stuart Broad took a wicket in his farewell Test at The Oval — part of a legendary career signed off at the venue.

Starc, Khawaja, and Australia's Ashes Weapon Selection

Mitchell Starc's 23 wickets were the most by any bowler in the 2023 Ashes — a testament to the left-arm pacer's ability to swing the Dukes ball in English conditions and exploit the movement available at each venue. At Edgbaston in particular, Starc's early bowling in England's 2nd innings was crucial in restricting England's final-innings total to 273, maintaining Australia's path to the 281 target. Usman Khawaja's 496 runs — the most by any Australian batter in the series — underlined his transformation into Australia's most reliable Test opening batter, with his patience and left-handed technique well-suited to handling England's swing bowling in the morning sessions. Stuart Broad's 22 wickets for England in what proved his final Test series before retirement at The Oval were a fitting epilogue to a career of extraordinary longevity. Broad, who famously took wickets in his first and last Tests, signed off at The Oval with a characteristic performance that contributed to England's series-levelling win. Broad's retirement — alongside James Anderson's continuation — marked a significant transition in England's pace attack.

Bazball's Resilience and The Ashes Retention

England's Bazball philosophy — playing positively, chasing targets that other teams would not attempt, and treating Test cricket as an offensive weapon — was both tested and validated by the 2023 Ashes. Tested, because Australia's 2-0 lead after Lord's demonstrated that Bazball could be absorbed and defeated by a well-organised opponent with a strong bowling attack and calm batting under pressure. Validated, because England then won two of the final three Tests using exactly the aggressive approach they had built since Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum took over in 2022. The 4th Test Manchester draw — where England's 592 occupied the match without producing a decisive result — showed that Bazball was not always ideally matched to pitch conditions or the Ashes retention rules. Australia needed only to draw the 4th Test to retain The Ashes: England needed a win, which their 592 did not produce. The Ashes 2023 series was widely regarded as one of the most competitive in recent years — closer in quality and outcome than the 4-0 result of 2021-22 had suggested the two sides were apart. It set up the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia as a genuine contest between two sides who had shared 2-2.