Australia vs England
2010-11-25
Peter Siddle took an Ashes hat-trick on his birthday, but the story that captured everyone's imagination was that the vegan fast bowler celebrated with bananas instead of beer.
Australia vs India
2008-03-27
Andrew Symonds flattened a streaker who ran onto the field during an ODI, shoulder-charging him with the force of a rugby player and sending him sprawling.
South Africa vs Pakistan
1992-03-08
On March 8, 1992, Jonty Rhodes — gathering the ball at backward point — sprinted four metres and dived horizontally into the stumps with the ball still in his hand to run out Inzamam-ul-Haq for 48. The image redefined cricket fielding for a generation.
Australia, New Zealand
1985-11-08
Richard Hadlee took 9 for 52 in Australia's first innings at the Gabba in November 1985, the best single-innings figures by any fast bowler in the 20th century, and followed it with 6 for 71 in the second innings to set up an innings win.
Australia vs England
1965-12-10
Doug Walters made 155 on his Test debut against England at the Gabba on 10 December 1965 — the tenth Australian to score a debut century against the old enemy. He followed it with 115 in his second Test at Melbourne and another in the third at Sydney, becoming the first batsman in history to score centuries in his first three Ashes innings. He was 19 years old.
Australia vs South Africa
1963-12-06
On 6 December 1963 at the Gabba, in his first over of the first Test against South Africa, Australian left-arm fast bowler Ian Meckiff was no-balled four times by umpire Col Egar — for throwing. Captain Richie Benaud removed him after the over and never bowled him again. Meckiff retired from all cricket at the end of the match. He was 28.
Australia vs West Indies
1960-12-14
On 14 December 1960 at the Gabba, Australia and West Indies produced the first tied Test in the 83-year history of the format, with West Indies' Joe Solomon running out Ian Meckiff from side-on with the scores level and one ball remaining. Wes Hall bowled the final eight-ball over with Australia needing six and three wickets in hand; the over produced two run-outs, a single, a missed catch and a tie. The result revived a flagging Test format and gave the world a template for how the game could be played.
Australia v England
1946-11-29
On the first day of the 1946-47 Ashes, Don Bradman — making his Test return after eight years and visibly out of touch on 28 — chopped a ball from Bill Voce that flew chest-high to Jack Ikin at second slip. England appealed for the catch; umpire George Borwick gave it not out, ruling the ball had bumped from the ground. Bradman did not walk. He went on to make 187, England were beaten by an innings and 332, and Hammond's relationship with the Australian captain never recovered. The wicket-that-never-was framed the entire series.
Australia v England
1946-12-04
Australia's first Test match after the war, at the Gabba in late November 1946, ended in an innings-and-332-run hammering of England — the largest defeat in Ashes history. A pre-monsoon thunderstorm on the third evening turned the wicket into a glue-pot, and Keith Miller (7 for 60) and Ernie Toshack (6 for 82) made it unplayable for an England side already wrung out from chasing Bradman's 187 and Hassett's 128 in a total of 645. The match is also remembered for the bump-ball decision that kept Bradman in on 28 — itself filed under a separate iconic-moment entry — and for Miller's emergence as a Test cricketer of the highest class.
Australia v England
1933-02-14
With the fate of the Bodyline series in the balance and England 216 for 6 chasing 340, Eddie Paynter checked himself out of a Brisbane hospital where he was being treated for acute tonsillitis, taxied to the Gabba in pyjamas and a dressing gown, and batted for nearly four hours to score 83. England drew level on first innings, won the Test by six wickets and the series 4-1.
Australia v England
1928-11-30
On 30 November 1928 the 20-year-old Don Bradman made his Test debut against England at the Exhibition Ground in Brisbane. He scored 18 and 1 as Australia were beaten by 675 runs — the largest defeat in Test history at the time — and was dropped for the next Test before returning to begin a career that would average 99.94.