The 1986–87 Ashes series was a series of five Test cricket matches that were contested between England and Australia for The Ashes. The series was played at five venues across Australia, starting on 14 November 1986 in Brisbane and concluding on 15 January 1987 in Sydney. England were the defending holders of the Ashes going into the series, having reclaimed the urn in 1985.
England, under the leadership of Mike Gatting, successfully retained the Ashes after winning the Boxing Day Test match in Melbourne.
Venues
The ordering of the venues was slightly different to the previous Australian Ashes series, with a swap between Perth and Brisbane.
Lead-up to Test series
England played warm-up matches against Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. They lost to Queensland by 5 wickets, beat South Australia by 5 wickets, and drew against Western Australia, but would almost certainly would have lost without rain intervention. One noticeable trend was the susceptibility of the England batsmen against left-arm pace - a vulnerability which came back to haunt them in the later tour match against New South Wales between the 1st and 2nd Tests, in which another left-arm pacer Mike Whitney also took a five-for.
When the Australian squad for the First Test was announced, it included two left-arm pace bowlers - Bruce Reid and Chris Matthews, both representing Western Australia. Earning a recall were Victorian paceman Merv Hughes and NSW quick Geoff Lawson, who had been sidelined for nearly a year with back problems. Besides the captain Allan Border (Queensland), other players selected in the squad had been part of the recently concluded tour to India: NSW all-rounders Greg Matthews and Steve Waugh, Queensland batsman Greg Ritchie, Tasmanian batsman David Boon, Victorian batsman Dean Jones, Western Australian opener Geoff Marsh and wicketkeeper Tim Zoehrer. Boon usually batted at 3 or 4 for Tasmania, but had been opening the batting for Australia for just over a year by now, with centuries home and away against India despite being out of position, so he was designated to continue what had become a reliable opening partnership with Marsh.
Test series 1st Test
England's achievement in winning this match, especially against the backdrop of their early tour form, surprised many observers, one of the visiting journalists famously observing that Mike Gatting's side had only three major problems: "They can't bat, they can't bowl, and they can't field". For Australia, with such high hopes against the "old enemy", the loss was depressing and indicated yet again that Australia's young side still had a long way to go before they could be competitive.
Day one Before the start of play it was announced that Geoff Lawson would be Australia's 12th man, leaving the hosts with one of their most inexperienced pace attacks in many years; Chris Matthews was making his Test debut while Merv Hughes and Bruce Reid had only played 9 Tests between them. Allan Border won his sixth successive toss and opted to field, hoping the grassy pitch and muggy conditions would assist his bowlers.
Bill Athey and Chris Broad negotiated the first half-hour, scoring 15 runs for the opening stand before Reid had Broad caught behind with some extra bounce for 8. England captain Mike Gatting came in next, promoting himself up the order to shield the out-of-form David Gower from having to bat too early in the innings. In just over two hours of play, Gatting and Athey added 101 to England's total, with Gatting's innings of 61 containing 11 fours. He was just starting to accelerate his scoring rate when he was bowled off his pads by an inswinger from Hughes.
When play ended shortly after tea due to rain and bad light, England's score was 198 for 2 - Athey had anchored the innings with a chancy but hard-fought 76 while Allan Lamb was on 40.
Day two The second day's play belonged to England's brilliant all-rounder Ian Botham. Australia again started the day promisingly, removing Lamb first ball and then Athey three overs later without any addition to the overnight score. Gower, still fresh at the crease and yet to score, offered a sharp chance that was dropped by C. Matthews at third slip off Hughes, which in hindsight proved to be turning point of the match. Botham promptly took charge and batted with uncharacteristic restraint, giving Gower much-needed space to settle into the innings and rediscover his form. The pair took England's score past 300 before Gower fell for 51.
Richards and Emburey departed cheaply before Phil DeFreitas combined with Botham in a 92-run partnership to push England's score past 400. In the over that Botham reached his hundred, he took 22 runs off Hughes. By the time he was dismissed on 138, with Hughes sprinting in to catch him at long leg off Steve Waugh, England were just shy of 450. Botham had batted for 249 minutes and hit 17 boundaries - 13 fours and four sixes.
Australia started their first innings with just over an hour of the day's play remaining. Geoff Marsh and David Boon combined for an opening stand of 27 before Boon departed for 10, hooking a catch to Broad off DeFreitas. Wicketkeeper Tim Zoehrer was sent in as nightwatchman before play was ended with Australia's score at 33 for 1.
Day three Marsh and Zoehrer navigated the first hour of play with little trouble, adding over 60 runs to Australia's score before Zoehrer was adjudged lbw to Graham Dilley for 38. Dean Jones struggled to get going and was trapped in front by DeFreitas for 8. Marsh reached his half-century and had batted well for nearly three-and-a-half hours before he slashed at a wide delivery from Dilley and was caught behind by Richards.
Surprisingly, Border, batting on his home deck, also struggled against the England bowling attack, eking out seven runs before charging Phil Edmonds and mishitting a catch to DeFreitas at backward point. The two Gregs - Ritchie and Matthews - worked hard to ensure no further wickets were lost, Australia's score reading 188 for 5 at the tea break.
England took the new ball as soon as it became available shortly after play resumed, and in his first over with it Dilley struck, getting Ritchie caught by Edmonds fielding at gully, then in his next over removing Waugh caught behind for a duck. Australia were now in a precarious position at 204 for 7, still over 50 runs away from avoiding the follow-on with the tail exposed. The two Matthews - Greg and Chris - managed to add 35 runs before Botham removed C. Matthews and Hughes in quick succession, and then Dilley sealed Australia's fate by claiming Reid's scalp with the score on 248. With the rest day looming, Gatting had no hesitation in enforcing the follow-on. Australia survived one over, still trailing England's first innings by 207 runs.
To further compound Australia's humiliation, 12th man Lawson had injured his right ankle during the day, falling awkwardly after trying to hurdle the Gabba fence.
Day four England achieved an early breakthrough when Boon again departed for a low score, trapped in front by Botham for 14. Jones joined Marsh at the crease and demonstrated keen attacking intent, scoring 18 at nearly a run a minute before he advanced too far down the wicket to John Emburey and stranded himself. Emburey's patience and craft also wore down Border who on 23, pushed forward with bat and pad and lobbed a simple catch to Lamb at silly mid-off. Ritchie showed willingness to occupy time and combined with Marsh for a 113-run fourth-wicket stand, the highlight of his innings being a towering six into the Clem Jones Stand, before falling lbw to DeFreitas for 45.
Off his first ball, Greg Matthews scored a boundary to put Australia ahead before Marsh reached a well-deserved century, his third in ten Tests and his first in Australia. With 15 minutes remaining, Dilley claimed the important wicket of Matthews, squaring up the batsman with an awkward delivery and taking a return catch off the leading edge. Waugh avoided a pair and safely negotiated the tricky final few minutes with Marsh to take Australia's score to 243 for 5 at stumps, having edged ahead by 35 runs. Marsh, who finished the day unbeaten on 108, had spent over seven hours at the crease and hit 12 fours.
Day five England began the final day's play knowing if Marsh could be removed early, Australia's chances of winning, let alone escaping with a draw, would be all but lost. After half an hour England achieved the desired breakthrough when Marsh, attempting an off-drive off DeFreitas, inside-edged the ball onto the stumps, ending a fine innings of 110. Waugh followed soon after, misjudging a well-flighted delivery by Emburey and yorking himself, and handing the England vice-captain his 100th Test wicket. Emburey, who was making good use of the strong breeze blowing across the ground, made short work of the tail. He finished the innings with bowling figures of 5 for 80 having also conceded fewer than 2 runs per over. England was left with 75 runs to win and, despite losing three wickets along the way, achieved a well-deserved victory shortly after the lunch break. It was England's first Test win of the year, and only the third time they had won in Brisbane.
2nd Test
England were unchanged from the 1st Test, whereas Australia made a change to their fast bowling attack: Lawson, who had been 12th man at Brisbane, replaced Hughes in the team.
England again batted first and racked up a large total, Chris Broad and Jack Richards both making maiden test centuries and Bill Athey falling only four runs short. David Gower also made a hundred. But this time Australia did manage to avoid the follow-on, narrowly, largely thanks to a century from Allan Border and 71 from Steve Waugh, batting as nightwatchman (at this stage of his career he was considered an all-rounded who batted in the late middle order, not the top-order batsman he subsequently became.) Batting became more difficult in the second innings, England crashing to 199/8 declared (Waugh taking 5/69), but the target of 391 runs on the last day was too great for Australia to consider chasing - especially after losing Boon to the first ball of the day. Australia lost three more wickets, but although scoring was slow, all the other batsmen proved durable, and the game petered out into a draw - but not before England had lost Ian Botham from the bowling attack, with a torn side muscle. As of 2025 this is the last occasion on which England avoided defeat in a Test match at Perth.
3rd Test
The injury to Botham forced a change to the England line-up: he was replaced by James Whitaker, a specialist batsman. Australia, meanwhile, made three changes. Zoehrer was injured, and replaced by Greg Dyer behind the stumps: and a double change to the bowling attack saw Hughes return in place of Lawson, who had been ineffective at Perth, and leg-spinner Peter Sleep replacing fast bowler Chris Matthews.
The absence of Botham affected England more than the absence of Tim Zoehrer affected Australia - not least because the all-rounder's replacement by a specialist batsman in the team had left the team with only four bowlers, including only two seamers, Gatting resorting to bowling his occasional medium pace as fifth bowler: and this time Australia seized the advantage, the whole top order supporting David Boon's hundred. However hundreds from Broad and Gatting, lost time and a relatively tame pitch (on which Border scored another century, in Australia's second innings) ensured another draw. With England 1-0 up, holding the Ashes and two tests to play, Australia left Adelaide needing to win both remaining Tests to reclaim the Ashes.
4th Test