England had enjoyed good form leading up to the series, with a 3–0 One Day International victory, and success in New Zealand; however, after winning convincingly in the first Test the host team struggled. Graham Thorpe and Nasser Hussain both scored over 400 runs for England, with Andrew Caddick the leading wicket-taker.
This was the only Ashes series between 1987 and 2005 in which England won a match before Australia had already taken an unassailable lead in the series.
Australia were whitewashed during the ODI Texaco series. Australian cricketer Ian Chappell in particular voiced his concerns over Taylor's responsibility.[9] England, on the other hand, gained a sense of optimism about the coming Test series. Qamar Ahmed, of The Daily Telegraph, wrote that "I have rarely seen Australia bowl so badly and field so poorly. They were guilty of exactly that in the last three matches and their batting with their out-of-form captain Mark Taylor makes them even a lot fractious than they should be with the abundance of talent that they have on tour."[10] Christopher Martin-Jenkins echoed such sentiments, stating that England's "hopes of winning the Ashes are growing."[11] Atherton himself wrote in the media of his pride regarding "England's young lions" during the ODI series.[12]
Australia were not without their own confidence. Chappell highlighted the role of Shane Warne in the media,[13] while England bowler Dean Headley was ruled out of the opening Test with an injury.[14]Nick Knight and Phil Tufnell were both left out of the final eleven, and Dominic Cork also picked up an injury.[1] Nevertheless, Australia entered the first Test under pressure.[15]
The first Test saw 72,693 in attendance across its four days, bringing in £1,588,593 in revenue.[1] Australia batted first after winning the toss, and rapidly collapsed to 54/8, before Warne and Michael Kasprowicz combined to bring Australia to 110 before the latter fell. Warne fell to Caddick three short of a half century, giving the England bowler a five-wicket haul, with Darren Gough and Devon Malcolm picking up three and two respectively.[16] When England fell to 16/2, the pitch was initially blamed in the media,[1] however Hussain and Thorpe scored a career-best 207 and 138 respectively in a 288-run partnership which became a record 4th-wicket partnership for England against Australia.[1] Warne eventually dismissed Hussain, and Thorpe was removed by McGrath, however a late order career-best 53 not out from Mark Ealham saw England to 478 for nine declared.[16]
Australia fared better in their second innings, reaching 477 all out thanks to "a heroic century" by Taylor – who scored 129 along with Greg Blewett who scored 125. Eliott scored 66, however no other Australian batsman passed 50. Three wickets were shared each between Gough, Robert Croft and Ealham, leaving England a target of 118 runs. Mark Butcher, on debut, was dismissed by Kasprowicz for 14, however Atherton reached 57 and Stewart reached 40 before hitting the winning runs.[1][16] Stewart also passed 5,000 Test runs during his knock, and Wisden record that "Victory brought an outpouring of elation, in front of the pavilion and across the country; people suddenly felt the little urn could, indeed, be recaptured." Hussain received the Man of the Match award for his double century.[1]
This was the only Ashes series between 1987 and 2005 in which England won a match before Australia had already taken an unassailable lead in the series.
Play on Day 2 was reduced to 21 overs due to rain.
The second Test match was affected by rain.[17][18] Australia had last been defeated at Lord's in 1934, however the draw here ended a run of 18 consecutive results for the visiting team.[17] England lost the toss and were put in to bat, on a difficult pitch,[17] and were dismissed for 77 thanks to eight wickets from McGrath, his best haul in tests to date. It was the lowest England total at Lord's since 1888, and the third best performance with the ball by an Australian Test player.[18] Only Hussain, Thorpe and Gough reached double figures, Thorpe top-scoring with 21. Paul Reiffel took the two other wickets, and Australia quickly surpassed the low target with only two wickets down. Thanks to a knock of 112 from Elliott, Australia declared at 213/7. Stewart had left the field for part of the innings due to back spasms, and Crawley had kept wicket.[18]
England replied with a more solid 266 for four.[18] Butcher and Atherton constructed the majority of the innings, with 87 and 77 respectively, and some quick scoring by Thorpe and Crawley – who both remained not out – allowed England to reach their score at 3.36 runs an over.[18] The declaration came after Butcher fell, and the game had been safely batted out to a draw.[17]
England brought in Dean Headley for his debut in the Third Test, while for Australia Jason Gillespie replaced Kasprowicz.[19] Australia, batting first having won the toss, reached 235 runs thanks largely to a century by Steve Waugh, while Headley took four wickets and Gough three.[20] Headley bowled an intimidating spell – coming "straight into the action, striking Taylor on the helmet as he ducked into a bouncer in his opening over." Dropped catches, however, hampered England's bowling performance.[19] Butcher hit 51 and Stewart 30 as England responded with 162, largely hemmed back by a six wicket haul from Warne, and three for McGrath.[20] Butcher, dismissed by a stumping, provided Healy with his 100th dismissal in Ashes Tests.[19]
Australia increased their lead with a second innings score of 395, thanks again to Steve Waugh's century, 116 runs on this occasion. His 14th century made him the first Australian batsman to score a hundred in both innings since 1989, and the first instance of this feat in a Test between Australia and England since Arthur Morris and Denis Compton in 1947.[20] Australia left England 469 runs to win,[19] and despite Crawley's knock of 83, England were dismissed for 200 runs, thanks to four wickets from McGrath and three for each of Warne and Gillespie. During the innings, Warne overtook Richie Benaud as the most successful Test leg-spin bowler, taking his 249th Test wicket.[20] Australia levelled the series in front of a crowd which totalled 87,829 over the five days.[19]
England announced the same team for the First Test, apart from Mike Smith who was brought in over Caddick, while Australia lodged a complaint against David Graveney for his alleged involvement in a decision to change pitches two weeks before the Test.[21] Australia won the toss and chose to bowl in the 36 overs permitted in a rain-affected first day. Beginning the second day on 103/3, England collapsed to 172 all out, thanks to a seven-wicket haul from Gillespie.[22] Atherton scored 41 from 143 deliveries, but no other batsman passed 30. In response, Elliott (199) and Ashes debutant Ricky Ponting's maiden Test century (127) brought Australia to 501/9 declared, with an expensive five-wicket haul for Gough, who went for 149 runs.[22]
England attempted to regain control, however they struggled initially, falling to 89/4.[22] A 123-run partnership between Hussain – his 105 being his second century of the series – and Crawley (72) gave England some hope,[21] however five wickets for Reiffel dismissed England for 268.[22] This innings and 61-run victory gave Australia a 2–1 lead with two matches remaining.
England brought Malcolm and Caddick back into the team for the 5th Test, as well as the two Hollioake brothers. There were also concerns in the England camp regarding Stewart's form, and Gough failed a fitness Test with an inflamed knee.[23] Australia won the toss and batted, reaching 427 all out thanks to five half-centuries from the top five batsmen, while four wickets were taken by Headley and three by Malcolm.[24] England fell to 313 all out in reply, thanks largely to Stewart's 87. Warne and McGrath took four wickets each to keep England behind the Australian total.[24]
Healy and Ponting then led a quick-scoring attack, supported by a half-century from Blewett, to take Australia to 336[23] while wickets shared around the England bowlers, including three between the Hollioake brothers.[24] Set 451 runs to win, England fell with a "strange mix of strokeless submission and devil-may-care defiance"[23] to 186 all out, with Australia claiming an extra half-hour after stumps to defeat England on the 4th day. Only Thorpe with his 82 from 92 balls offered any resistance.[24] Australia took an unassailable 3–1 lead, and pressure mounted on the England team and its management. The ECB had issued statements denying that Atherton had offered, or planned, to resign, and Wisden recorded: "[This] crushing defeat cost England the series and the Ashes but not, this time, their captain. Mike Atherton withstood all the demands that he follow the example of his predecessor, Graham Gooch, who had fallen on his sword in similar circumstances four years earlier. But the public debate about his future did nothing to ease the pressure on Atherton."[23] Peter Johnson later records that "Atherton resolutely declined journalists' invitations to resign at once, though his wording suggested to many that he would answer differently when the series was over."[23]
England