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, which is 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 cricket 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, leaving England just short of victory. The English newspaper created a mock obituary saying England's cricket skill had "died" and its "ashes" would be taken to Australia. An English aristocrat, Ivo Bligh, promised to win back the "Ashes" when he led England to Australia later that year. Though England won the series, 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 or physical symbol. It wasn’t until later that people tried to create something to represent the Ashes.

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. Some say it was given after a cricket match in 1883, while others believe it was presented earlier, during a private game. 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 special reminder of the competition.

Series and matches

Later in 1882, after Australia won a famous victory, an England team led by Bligh traveled to Australia to try to "recover those ashes." The publicity for the series was huge, and during this time, the Ashes urn was created. Australia won the First Test, but England won the next two. By the end of the Third Test, England was considered to have "won back the Ashes." A fourth match was played, which Australia won.

After Bligh's victory, England dominated for a long time. The tours in the 1880s and 1890s had fewer Tests than people are used to today. England lost only four Ashes Tests out of 23 in the 1880s and won all seven series contested. There were many changes in the teams because there was no official board of selectors for each country, and popularity with fans varied. The 1890s games were closer, with Australia winning its first series since 1882. But England dominated, winning the next three series up to 1896.

Australia won the 1897–98 series under Harry Trott's captaincy. His successor, Joe Darling, won the next three series, including the famous 1902 series. Five matches were played in 1902, but the first two were drawn due to bad weather. Australia won the Third and Fourth Tests, and England won the last Test.

After issues with earlier series, the MCC decided to organize tours themselves, leading to the first MCC tour of Australia in 1903–04. England won this series, and Plum Warner's book How We Recovered The Ashes revived the Ashes legend. From 1905 to 1912, England and Australia were closely matched. England won in 1905 and 1911–12, while Australia won in 1907–08 and 1909.

After the war, Australia took control of both the Ashes and world cricket. Australia won the first eight matches in succession, including a 5–0 victory in 1920–21. England won only one Test out of 15 from the end of the war until 1925. In a rain-hit series in 1926, England managed a 1–0 victory with a win in the final Test.

Australia's team broke up after 1926, but despite the debut of Donald Bradman, the inexperienced Australians were heavily defeated in 1928–29. Bradman scored 974 runs in the 1930 series, a world record. England managed to stay in contention until the final Test, where Bradman's performance secured Australia's victory.

The 1932–33 series saw England's adoption of a controversial tactic, leading to diplomatic tensions. England won the series 4–1, but the tactic caused furore in Australia.

Australia recovered the Ashes in 1934 and held them until 1953, with no Test cricket played during the Second World War. The 1934 series was decided in the final Test, where Australia won by a large margin.

In the post-war period, Australia continued to dominate, winning series in 1946–47 and 1948. The 1948 team, led by Bradman, was known as The Invincibles for their unbeaten tour of England.

England began to turn the tide in 1953, winning the final Test to take the series 1–0. This marked the start of a strong period for English cricket.

In the 1950s and 1960s, England and Australia continued to compete, with England winning series in 1954–55 and 1956. Australia won in 1958–59 and 1961, with Richie Benaud's leadership being key.

The 1970s saw England retaining the Ashes in 1972 and winning in 1974–75 and 1977. The 1981 series, known as 'Botham's Ashes,' saw England come back from a 1–0 deficit to win the series.

Australia dominated the late 1980s and 1990s, winning series from 1989 to 2005. Great players included Border, Boon, Taylor, Steve Waugh, Glenn McGrath, and Shane Warne.

The 2005 series was closely contested, with England winning their first Ashes victory in 18 years. Australia regained the Ashes in 2006–07 with a 5–0 victory.

England regained the Ashes in the 2009 series and retained them in 2010–11, winning in Australia for the first time in 24 years. Australia won the 2013–14 series 5–0, and England regained the Ashes in 2015.

In recent years, Australia has retained the Ashes in 2017–18, 2019, and 2021–22. The 2023 series was drawn 2–2, and Australia retained 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.

In the 143 years since 1883, Australia have held the Ashes for approximately 87.5 years, and England for 55.5 years:

Test results, up to and including 8 January 2026:

Series results, up to and including 8 January 2026:

A team must win a series to gain the right to hold the Ashes. If a series ends in a draw, the previous holders keep the Ashes. Ashes series have usually been played over five Test matches, though there have been series with four or six matches. Australians have scored many big runs in Ashes Tests, as have English players. Australians have also taken many wickets, as have English players.

Match venues

The Ashes series takes place in both England (and Wales) and Australia, with each match held at a different stadium.

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

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

Cultural references

The popularity of the cricket series called "The Ashes" has inspired other sports and games to use the same name for contests between England and Australia. The most famous 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. Other shows like Gladiators and Sale of the Century also held special competitions with contestants from Australia and England.

Over time, the term "Ashes" became more general in Australia, describing 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.