1965–66 Ashes seriesの英語

The 1965–66 Ashes series consisted of five cricket Test matches, each of five days with six hours play and eight ball overs. It formed part of the MCC tour of Australia in 1965–66 and the matches outside the Tests were played in the name of the Marylebone Cricket Club. M.J.K. Smith led the England team with the intent of regaining the Ashes lost in the 1958-59 Ashes series. The Australian team was captained by Bobby Simpson and by his vice-captain Brian Booth in two Tests. It was the first tour of Australia by players instead of amateurs and professionals and the first time that the MCC travelled to Australia by air instead of by sea. Although the press labelled the England team as the weakest to go to Australia, their entertaining cricket won them favour with the crowds. They also made their runs faster than any other England team since the war and for once England batted faster than Australia, a refreshing contrast to other Ashes series of the era. With both sides having good batsmen and weak bowling attacks an exceptional number of runs were made, especially by Australia in the last two Tests when they fielded seven specialist batsmen and an all rounder. The Australian opener Bill Lawry "always seemed to be batting", his 592 runs (84.57) were the most in an Ashes series since Don Bradman in 1946–47 and his three centuries the most since Arthur Morris in 1948. With his captain Bobby Simpson he added 244 in 255 minutes for the first wicket in the Fourth Test at Adelaide, then the highest opening stand by Australia in an Ashes Test and which remains their highest opening stand against England at home. In the previous Test at Sydney England’s Bob Barber and Geoff Boycott added 234 for the first wicket in 234 minutes, the highest opening partnership by England in Australia since Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe made 283 at Melbourne in 1924–25. Bob Cowper made the Ashes safe for Australia with his 307 in 727 minutes in the Fifth Test at Melbourne, the first Test triple century to be made in Australia, the longest Test innings in Australia and the highest Ashes score in Australia. A record eleven batsmen averaged over 40 in the series and the teams exceeded 500 in an innings three times between them, 400 another four times and England made their highest score in Australia since 1928–29. "The long and short of it was that the batting of both sides was much stronger than the bowling". The victories when they came were both by an innings, Australia's defeat in the Third Test at Sydney was their worst result at home since 1911–12. When Australia won the Fourth Test at Adelaide it was only the third time that two teams had defeated each other by an innings in successive Tests. The series saw the debut of the Australians Doug Walters, Keith Stackpole and Peter Allan and the last Tests of Wally Grout, Brian Booth, Peter Burge and David Sincock.