England ended their memorable summer by earning a 2-2 draw in the Ashes with a 135-run defeat of Australia in the fifth Test.
On a beautifully sunny day at The Oval, England set Australia 399 to win and bowled them out for 263 to square the contest with their oldest enemies in a year when they lifted the World Cup for the first time.
Australia retain the urn they won in 2017-18 but miss out on a first series win in England since 2001, while an Ashes series is drawn for the first time in 47 years.
Here are how the England players rated during the course of the five-Test series, according to PA.
Rory Burns: His 390 runs in the series made him easily the standout opener of the summer. Started with a century at Edgbaston and made two more 50s as he faced down Australia’s short-ball tactics. Caught well. 8
Jason Roy: England hoped to transplant his one-day brilliance into the Test team but the experiment was an unequivocal failure before he was axed at his home ground. 2
Joe Denly: Did not look up to standard at the start of the series but knuckled down impressively, even after being shunted up to opener from number four. Signed off with a career-best 94 at The Oval. 6
Joe Root: Three ducks and four half-centuries are a middling return for the team’s leading batsman. Root judges himself by the highest standards and will not be pleased by the lack of a major score. The first England captain not to lift the urn at home since 2001. 5
Joe Root struggled badly for runs.
Ben Stokes: Where else to start but his contender for greatest Test innings of all time at Headingley? Only Steve Smith scored more than his 441 at an average of 55.12 and his hard-working seamers brought eight wickets too. 9
Jos Buttler: Three extremely poor Tests followed by two much-improved efforts at Old Trafford and The Oval. Looks to have learned lessons but his Test cricket lags well behind his one-day brilliance. 5
Jonny Bairstow: Averaged 23.77 with a top score of 52 and seems to be in a rut against the red ball. Kept wicket better than his opposite number, Tim Paine, but might not have done enough to hold off Ben Foakes’ claims. 4
Jofra Archer: A stone-cold superstar. Followed his World Cup winner’s medal with 22 wickets at 20.27 in his first major Test series and bowled some utterly spell-binding bursts of extreme pace. 8
Chris Woakes: Curiously under-used by Root at times and not always at his best when called upon. Might have played fewer games had injuries not hit the bowling ranks. 5
Jack Leach: Catapulted into a high-pressure environment after Moeen Ali was dropped, and became a fan favourite for his brilliant supporting role to Stokes’ miracle in Leeds. Finished on a high with four wickets in the final innings of the series but must look to improve his left-arm spin. 6
Stuart Broad: Rolled back the years after being asked to lead the attack in James Anderson’s absence. Dominated David Warner and finished as England’s leading wicket-taker with 23. 8
Broad led the way with 23 wickets for England.
Sam Curran: Man of the series against India last summer but only rolled out at the last moment. A bright future awaits and he will be unlucky to be left out on home soil next year. 5
Moeen Ali: Dropped after a poor show in the series opener, during which he made four runs in two innings and failed to make the most of a turning Edgbaston pitch. 2
Craig Overton: A surprising pick in the crucial fourth Test after 18 months out of the squad. Bowled heartily without much menace and batted stoically in a vain attempt to save the game. 4
James Anderson: Injured his right calf after bowling just four overs on the first morning in what will surely be his final Ashes campaign. Should England have checked his fitness with more rigour? N/A
