The Ashes

The Ashes is a special cricket competition that happens every two years between England and Australia. It is played in a type of cricket called Test cricket, the longest and most important form of the game.

The name "The Ashes" started from a funny story in a British newspaper. After Australia won their first Test match in England in 1882, the newspaper wrote that English cricket had "died" and its "ashes" would be sent to Australia.

Because of this story, the next tour by England to Australia was called the "Quest to regain the Ashes." After the tour, England won two out of three matches, and a small urn was given to the English captain, Ivo Bligh. People say this urn contains the ashes of a wooden cricket bail, though no one really knows for sure.

Even though the urn is not the official trophy, winners of the Ashes often hold a replica of it. Since 1998–99, a beautiful crystal trophy called the Ashes Trophy has been given to the team that wins. No matter which team wins, the original urn stays safe in the MCC Museum at Lord's in England. It has traveled to Australia a few times for special events.

Usually, an Ashes series has five matches, and the team that wins most of them gets to keep the Ashes. If the matches end in a draw, the team that already has the Ashes keeps it.

1882 origins

Main article: Australian cricket team in England in 1882

The first Test match between England and Australia was played in Australia in 1877. The special rivalry called "The Ashes" began in 1882. That year, Australia beat England in a Test match at The Oval in London. After the loss, a newspaper in England wrote a funny piece saying that English cricket had "died" and its "ashes" would go to Australia.

The Australian team, led by players like Fred Spofforth and Harry Boyle, surprised everyone by winning the match. England's last batsman, Ted Peate, tried to get the needed runs but was out. An English aristocrat, Ivo Bligh, promised to win back the "Ashes" when he led England to Australia later that year. The name "The Ashes" didn't become popular until many years later. It grew famous worldwide in 1903 when an English team again promised to win back the "Ashes" on their tour to Australia.

Urn

For many years, the contest between England and Australia was called "the Ashes," but there was no actual trophy.

The most famous symbol is an urn that was given to a captain named Ivo Bligh in 1882–83. There are different stories about how this urn was created. The urn is small, made of terracotta, and is kept in a museum in England. It is not given to the winning team but is kept as a reminder of the competition.

Series and matches

Later in 1882, after Australia won a big match, an England team tried to win back the Ashes. Australia won the first match, but England won the next two. England was said to have "won back the Ashes" by the end of the third match. A fourth match was played, which Australia won.

After this, England did very well for a long time. In the 1880s and 1890s, England lost only a few matches. Australia won its first series since 1882 in the 1890s, but England still won most of the time.

Australia won the 1897–98 series under Harry Trott's leadership. Joe Darling then won the next three series, including the famous 1902 series. Australia won two matches and England won one in 1902.

After some problems, the MCC started organizing the tours. England won the 1903–04 series. From 1905 to 1912, both teams were very close.

After the war, Australia did very well, winning many matches in a row. England won only one match out of 15 from the end of the war until 1925. In a rain-affected series in 1926, England won the last match.

Australia's team changed after 1926. Even with Donald Bradman, Australia lost in 1928–29. Bradman scored many runs in the 1930 series, helping Australia win.

The 1932–33 series had some controversial moments, causing tension between the teams. England won that series.

Australia won the Ashes again in 1934 and kept them until 1953. No Test cricket was played during the Second World War. Australia won the 1934 series in the last match.

Australia kept winning after the war, in 1946–47 and 1948. The 1948 team, led by Bradman, was called The Invincibles because they did not lose any matches in England.

England started to do better in 1953, winning the last match to take the series. This began a strong time for English cricket.

In the 1950s and 1960s, both teams kept competing. England won in 1954–55 and 1956. Australia won in 1958–59 and 1961, with Richie Benaud's leadership being important.

The 1970s saw England keeping the Ashes in 1972 and winning in 1974–75 and 1977. In 1981, England came back to win the series.

Australia won most of the series from 1989 to 2005. Great players included Border, Boon, Taylor, Steve Waugh, Glenn McGrath, and Shane Warne.

The 2005 series was very close, with England winning their first Ashes victory in 18 years. Australia won the Ashes again in 2006–07.

England took the Ashes back in 2009 and kept them in 2010–11. Australia won the 2013–14 series, and England took the Ashes back in 2015.

In recent years, Australia has kept the Ashes in 2017–18, 2019, and 2021–22. The 2023 series ended in a tie, and Australia kept the Ashes in 2025–26.

Summary of results and statistics

For a full listing of all the Ashes series since 1882, see List of Ashes series.

Since 1883, Australia have held the Ashes for about 87 years, and England for about 56 years.

A team must win a series to hold the Ashes. If a series ends in a draw, the team that held the Ashes before keeps them. Ashes series are usually played over five Test matches, but sometimes have four or six matches. Both Australian and English players have scored many runs and taken many wickets in Ashes Tests.

Match venues

The Ashes series happens in both England (and Wales) and Australia. Each match is at a different stadium.

In Australia, the main places are the Gabba in Brisbane, Adelaide Oval, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), and the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Melbourne usually hosts the Boxing Day Test, and Sydney hosts the New Year's Day Test.

In England and Wales, matches are at Old Trafford in Manchester, The Oval in South London, Lord's in North London, Headingley in Leeds, and Edgbaston in Birmingham. The last Test of the series is often at The Oval.

Cultural references

The cricket series called "The Ashes" has inspired other sports and games to use the same name for contests between England and Australia. A well-known example is the rugby league Ashes competition between England and Australia's national rugby league teams. The name was suggested by the Australian team when these matches began in 1908. Shows like Gladiators and Sale of the Century also held special competitions with contestants from Australia and England.

Over time, the term "Ashes" became used more widely in Australia to describe big rivalries in sports, even when not involving Australia and England. For example, Australian rules football and soccer matches had their own "Ashes." This broader use is less common today, and "The Ashes" now mainly refers to contests between Australia and England.

The Ashes has appeared in films and books. It was featured in The Final Test from 1953 and in Douglas Adams’s novel Life, the Universe and Everything, part of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. It was also the subject of the television miniseries Bodyline from 1984 and mentioned in the 1938 film The Lady Vanishes.