The Ultimate Test Series: The Windies' whitewash of England vs the 2005 Ashes

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Ahead of the ICC World Test Championship Final, we’re looking to crown The Ultimate Test Series – a Test series that would stand out in any era for both its significance to the sport’s rich history and the level of cricket played.

We’ve whittled it down to 16 Test series from all time, which we’ll reveal over the coming days. From there, we'll need your help.

Keep your eyes across our social channels and get voting when the time comes.

On day two, the West Indies' famous 5-0 win over England in 1984 takes on the famous 2005 Ashes.

1984 – England vs West Indies
5-0 to the West Indies across five Tests

The period in which the mighty West Indies were at the peak of their powers, brushing aside each and every opponent who stood in front of them. England bore the full brunt of the Caribbean juggernauts, enduring a 5-0 whitewash on their own turf.

The opening Test in Birmingham was a sign of things to come as the tourists would win by an innings and 180 runs.

English skipper David Gower then sensed victory at Lord’s declaring early on Day 5, setting West Indies an improbable target of 342 to chase in just 78 overs. Opener Gordon Greenidge though had other plans, making a mockery of that decision by scoring 214* in only 242 deliveries as the Windies chased down the target in only 66.1 overs.

This would deflate the English side, who would taste battering defeats in the three following Test matches in Headingley, Old Trafford and the Oval. The performance by the West Indies unit remains arguably the most commanding one in nature by a touring team in the history of the game. England were left battered, broken and bruised by a team whose supremacy is only rivalled by the Australian side of the late '90s and early 2000s.

2005 – Ashes2-1 to England across five Tests

Going into the 2005 series, England had not won an Ashes campaign since 1987, with the Australians taking out each of the past eight series between the two sides.

In 2005, England finally won back the urn.

That did not look a likely result when the Australians dealt them a 239-run defeat at Lord’s in the series opener off the back of a nine-wicket match haul from Glenn McGrath.

However, things took a drastic turn at Edgbaston, where the Australians lost McGrath to a rolled ankle before a ball had been bowled. In one of the sport’s tightest ever finishes, England went on to win that Test by two runs. In trouble at 175/8 and then 220/9 in the chase, the Australians almost pulled off the improbable.

At Old Trafford, the Australians just barely held on for a draw thanks to a century from captain Ricky Ponting, before England took a 2-1 series lead Trent Bridge after an Andrew Flintoff ton. A draw at the Oval was followed by an open-top bus parade for England’s triumphant outfit.