England win the Ashes:

 

 

England last won the Ashes in Australia 23 years ago. Here we plunder the archives for some of the best coverage of that historic tour of Australia

 

England team has been tipped to snatch a historic series win. The last time England won the Ashes on Australian soil was when Mike Gatting's team recorded a 2-1 series victory 23 years ago.
Beating the Australians in front of their own fans has never been easy. England have won just three Tests played on Australian pitches since 1986-7. If the current England captain is looking to spur on his side then he might want to flick through the archives for reports of how Gatting's team triumphed in the 1986-7 series.
The redoubtable Matthew Engel was despatched by this newspaper to cover the tour, and his match report on England's unlikely victory in the first test match contained some choice words which were probably relished by cricket fans back home. England won the first match by seven wickets thanks to heroic all rounder, Ian Botham, scoring a century in the first innings, and Graham Dilley forcing the Australians to follow-on. John Emburey and Phil DeFreitas polished off the opposition off in the second innings and the winning runs were scored just after lunch on the fifth day. England had found their form at the right time and the team went on to win the Ashes series handsomely.
  Winning the Ashes was especially gratifying for the England captain Mike Gatting who recalled in a recent interview that one smart hack at the time had dismissed England's chances of an away series win:

There are only three things wrong with this team. They can't bat, they can't bowl and they can't field.

When the tourist departed Australia after an exhausting four month tour they were laden down with trophies and prizemoney and even recieved a cable from the British Prime Minister: "I send you and the whole England cricket team my warmest congratulations on your magnificent achievement in adding the World Series Cup to the Challenge Cup and the Ashes. This must be an unprecedented clean sweep. We are all proud of you. Best wishes, Margaret Thatcher."