Ray Illingworth captained England to victory in Australia in 1970/71, their first overseas Ashes win since 1954/55
Since 1877, when James Lillywhite’s XI contested what would become the first official Test match in Melbourne, England have played 129 series of two or more Tests and won 46. The table below shows that away form is a decent barometer of the England team’s standing – post war, the high watermarks are in the 1950s, when England were the best side in the world, and the 1960s, a decade that includes the momentous Ashes win of 1970/71.
Only four overseas series wins out of 23 from 1981 to 2000 is indicative of a dark stretch for English cricket that was illuminated by the arrival of Duncan Fletcher as coach, and an overseas win percentage of almost 40 that followed under his leadership.