In 2014 after three straight Ashes series defeats, Australia were desperate to win back the urn in front of a home crowd.
Not only did they snatch it back, they completed the series in emphatic fashion with a 5-0 clean sweep for only the third time in history.
England were chasing 448 in the second innings and were bowled out for just 166, falling 281 runs short.
The player of the match was Aussie quick Ryan Harris who took eight wickets for 61 runs across both innings.
Following Harris’ final scalp, which signalled the end, the Australians for the first time ever sung their team song in the middle of the Sydney Cricket Ground in front fans and media.
“One of the things we cherish in the Australian team is the song we sing and we’ve sung it in lots of different places around the world,” Harris told bet365.
“It’s always a special moment. It’s usually the team and support staff affiliated with the team, but for some reason, Nathan Lyon, who was the song master of the side, pulled us in to sing the song in the middle of the SCG which was really unusual and probably hadn’t been done before.
“He described it as probably the only time the 11 guys were going to be together.
“That’s one moment I remember vividly. You love doing it with your mates who are in the change rooms, but that was just that moment in the middle where at that time it probably hadn’t registered as to what we’d just done, winning 5-0.
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“Singing Underneath the Southern Cross, which is a famous song, it’s one growing up and being in the Australian team, it’s one you want to sing.
“It’s one you don’t normally sing until way later in the night when all the security and everyone else has gone home. It was a nice moment.”
With emotions running high, Lyon later said it wasn’t the only time the song was sung following the famous victory.
For the players, it was a well-deserved celebration after years of being bullied by their old foe.
Harris said to do it at the SCG made the win extra special.
“It’s different, it’s not an MCG,” he said.
“It’s got the beautiful traditional change rooms. You can’t see all your teammates because they’re tucked around the corner in different parts.
“It’s a great time of year again – you’ve come off a Boxing Day Test and it’s great coming in with a lead knowing you’ve won the Ashes.
“For us it was all about winning 5-0 – that was the next thing we wanted to do after Perth.
“Coming in, you know it’s going to be a good celebration when you’ve won a series. You know it’s going to be a celebration you deserve because you’ve put everything into it and your teammates and support staff. That’s what makes that Test so special.”
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