The Woolloongabba Stadium (Also Known as The Gabba) gears up to play host to the iconic day/night Test match on December 4. Australia clearly enter as hot favorites, after dismantling England completely in the first Test by a commanding margin of 8 wickets. Since the inception of the Ashes, both Australia and England have played each other in 22 Tests at this venue, out of which 13 have been won so far by the Aussies.
Besides, with a near-invincible day/night Test record at home, Australia would be looking to further add to England’s woes and would look to extend their lead by 2-0. Although it remains to be seen whether England can put up a fight, it’s time to look back at some of Australia’s glorious Ashes wins against England at the Gabba.
Australia vs England 1946 (Won by innings and 332 runs)
This was Australia’s maiden Ashes win at this venue, and it came by a whopping margin of 332 runs. Classified as one of the biggest wins in terms of margin, England simply stood no chance. The visitors were run ragged in the field by Australia, who opted to bat in the first innings. Don Bradman and Lindsay Hassett soared to new heights and added 187 and 128, respectively, as Australia reached a mammoth 645.
Doug Wright was the sole inspiration for England in the first innings as he emerged with a five-wicket haul. In response, England failed to surpass the 200-run mark and were dismissed cheaply for 141 and 172. Keith Miller and Ernie Toshack sank the English batting unit by accounting for 10 dismissals, seven of which were claimed by Miller.
Thereafter, England folded again in the second innings when they were asked to follow-on. Miller continued his fine form with the ball and dismissed Leonard Hutton on the very first delivery. That breakthrough triggered a catastrophic downfall as England couldn’t prevent the fall of wickets. Toshack joined the party and registered figures of 6-82 to hand Australia their most crushing win. Australia eventually went on to clinch that series by 3-0.
Australia vs England 2013 (Won by 381 runs)
In the 2013-14 Ashes series, Australia went on to achieve their biggest Ashes win against England at the Gabba. This feat was unlocked during the first test of the series. The toss went Australia’s way as they chose to bat first. Several Aussie batters, including David Warner, Brad Haddin, and Steve Smith, got starts. Although Warner fell one run shy of his fifty, Haddin (94 off 153) and Mitch Johnson (64 off 134) batted resolutely to take Australia to 295.
After playing a valuable role with the bat, Johnson unleashed his raw pace and aggression when he took the ball. He was relentless with his onslaught and troubled the English batters with his pace and bounce. He produced numerous deliveries that were simply unplayable. In the end, he bagged 4-61 to bring England down on its knees for just 136.
Australia cashed in on a profitable first innings lead of 159 runs. This time around, Warner did not miss out as he slammed a dominant ton (124 off 154). The skipper Clarke also added to England’s misery by adding a swashbuckling 113 (130) to stretch Australia’s lead past 500. The Australians eventually declared at 401-7, leaving England with a near-impossible target of 561.
Alastair Cook tried to offer some resistance by adding a gritty 65, but the Aussie quicks continued to chip away with wickets. On day four, the wicket was proving to be much harder to bat on. Johnson once again inflicted his reign of terror by picking 5-42 as England completely capitulated for 179, giving Australia a mighty 381-run win.
Australia vs England 2021 (Won by 9 wickets)
This is Australia’s most recent Ashes win against the Poms. It was during the first test of the 2021-22 series that England found themselves in total disarray when they opted to bat first on a spicy Gabba surface. Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood set the tone nicely with the new ball, wreaking havoc in England’s top order. The skipper, Pat Cummins, led from the front and went through England’s brittle middle order, eventually finishing with a five-fer to floor England for only 147.
In sharp contrast, the Australian response was far more belligerent with the bat. Warner slammed 94 (176), and Travis Head put on an entertaining 152 to have England’s back against the wall. Moreover, a handy knock from Marnus Labuschagne (74 off 117) meant that Australia would finish on a high with a score of 425.
After conceding a whopping lead of 278 runs, the pathway to recovery was always going to be a challenge. Despite valiant innings from Dawid Malan (82 off 195) and Joe Root (89 off 165), England fell short with the bat as they could only add 19 extra runs to their first innings deficit. Australia gunned down those 20 runs in no time, subsequently wrapping the game by 9 wickets and going 1-0 up in the process.
