Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and co made Ashes like out-of-body experience

Two teams. Two different styles. Five brilliant Test matches. I mirror the words of many in that this series could go down as one of Test cricket’s biggest showcases – the perfect legacy.

How can you pinpoint a key defining moment that overturned Australia’s chances of winning a hard-fought Ashes series? Well, the Jonny Bairstow incident at Lords is definitely up there.

Whatever your views on what happened, there’s no doubt it channelled England’s focus to win. Going 2-0 down and playing do-or-die cricket, it shifted everything towards England and Australia were shaken before quietly almost snatching it away at the Oval.

The whole series for both the men and women was a rollercoaster of emotion, and one that has drawn many comparisons from 2005.

We all expected it to be good but at times it felt like an out-of-body experience – spiritual almost. The fact that the men bounced back in the same manner as the women just felt as though it was all meant to be.

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The drama, the pendulum swings and the ball change. At the end of day four of the final Test, the pundits’ forecast was for the game to slip away with Stuart Broad finishing his last Test shaking hands with the victors after a record run chase. England needed ten wickets and Australia would resume batting to chase 249 for their first Ashes victory on British soil since 2001.

Soon those series victory hopes began to slip away for the Aussie side. Chris Woakes and Mark Wood created hope as only they could with three early wickets but then the counterpunch, the Stokes drop and the rain delay, triggering an Old Trafford deja vu moment.

What we witnessed on that Monday when they returned to the field was pure wizardry. Moeen Ali having one of his best days, enabling a fairytale finish. England’s determination to give Broad the best send-off shone through and what a way to do it with a wicket to clinch the win with his last ball in Test cricket.

And as for Woakes and Wood – how good were they? They transformed how the series played out, bringing a steeliness and composure to win at Headingley. Both with their own battle wounds and injury setbacks, and knowing how it feels to lose against Australia. They didn’t want to feel that again.

Woakes taking 19 wickets across the final three Tests rightfully deserved the player of the series award. Wood may have pushed through the pain barrier in the final Test (an injured heel) but he delivered high-class, exhilarating deliveries at times when England needed them most.

While doubts had been cast over Zak Crawley, the four he hammered off the first ball of the series signalled his intent and his confidence grew even more with the unwavering Bazball mindset to become England’s top runscorer.

The loyalty calls were questioned. Bairstow, Crawley, and the again-retired Moeen all faced intense criticism but all that loyalty had to pay off sometime. ‘What they do on their best days,’ is what Stokes said and is something we all witnessed in the last two Tests.

For Australia, you can’t question their skillsets as players – recently crowned World Test Champions – there were many times where they kept England at bay – the century Marnus Labuschagne scored to steer the tourists to safety at Old Trafford is one of those many moments.

But despite retaining the urn, Pat Cummins will return home with a few questions raised. While England know their approach works once refined, the Australians will no doubt wonder whether they need to adapt to keep up. Similar for their women’s team having now faced a new England under Heather Knight –how lucky are we then for the future of this rivalry.

It’s sad to think the future of Test cricket is under threat or that it might only be reserved for the privileged few, but this has certainly made a case for why there is merit in preserving it.

In years to come we will be looking back at the summer of 2023 and remembering these players as game-changers. Under Stokes and Brendon McCullum they have won 13 out of 18 Tests and for all of their achievements this might be the biggest of them all. What an incredible legacy to leave.

Both England teams talked about their desire to inspire the next generations of cricket. These lasting legacies can be nurtured for years to come as IG’s Net Gains Fund, in partnership with England Cricket, has raised £300,000 so far.

A fund which will help build new public net facilities across the UK, to facilitate younger players’ development in the nets to play Test cricket and make their own mark for future Ashes series.

It really has been a summer of celebration.

Isa Guha, the former England cricketer and BBC presenter, writes for Metro in partnership with IG during the Ashes. IG and England Cricket have committed to invest in new public net facilities across the country, via the IG Net Gains fund. Find out more at IG.com/investing. Investing puts your capital at risk.

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