The Ashes is a regular international cricket contest between England and Australia, played every two years. The series is named after the trophy, which is a small wooden urn said to contain the burnt bails from an 1882 game between the countries at The Oval. The contest consists of a series of Test matches, usually five. The custom arose when, after this game, The Sporting Times printed the following "obituary" to English cricket (written by Reginald Shirley Brooks ):
- "In Affectionate Remembrance of ENGLISH CRICKET, which died at the Oval on 29th AUGUST, 1882, Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances R.I.P.
- N.B. - The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia."
The English media played up the subsequent tour to Australia in 1882/83 (arranged before the defeat) as a quest to "regain the Ashes". Australia won the first test by nine wickets. However, England won the next two. At the end of the third test, the English captain Hon. Ivo Bligh was presented with a small wooden urn containing some ashes. The most common story is that these were the ashes of a burnt bail taken from one of the games played on the tour. However, evidence raised in 1982 suggests that the ashes are those of a ball and the urn was presented to Bligh before the series began. Whatever the origin, Bligh kept the urn and his widow Florence (who was born in Australia) donated it to the Marylebone Cricket Club after his death in 1927.
Despite the teams playing for the right to hold the Ashes trophy, the Ashes urn itself is never physically awarded to Australia, but is kept permanently in the Cricket Museum at Lord's. It has been to Australia only once, in 1988 for a museum tour as part of Australia's Bicentennial celebrations. In the 1990s, given Australia's long dominance of the series the idea was mooted of the victorious team being awarded the trophy. Instead the MCC commissioned a Waterford crystal replica, which is now awarded to the winning team.
The Ashes is generally regarded as the greatest cricketing competition, at least by inhabitants of the countries involved. Notable Ashes series took place in 1932/33 (the Bodyline tour), 1948 (Bradman's "Invincibles" Australian side) and 1981 (in which an England team spearheaded by Ian Botham won a thrilling series).
In the fictional universe of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the Ashes are actually the remains of the Wooden Pillar, a piece of the original "Wikkit Key" that was created as part of the punishment of the xenophobic planet Krikkit.
Series history
19th century (1882-1899)
See main articles: History of Test cricket (to 1883), History of Test cricket (1884 to 1889), History of Test cricket (1890 to 1900)
1882 in England
Australia 1-0
The ninth Test match played between England and Australia was the birth of the Ashes legend. (The first Test match had been played in 1877.) Australia toured England and played only one Test, at The Oval in London.
The game was a low-scoring affair on a difficult pitch. Australia made only 63 runs in their first innings, and England, led by Monkey Hornby, took a 38-run lead with a total of 101. In the second innings, Australia posted 122, leaving England to score only 85 runs to win. Australian bowler Fred Spofforth refused to give in, declaring, "This thing can be done". He devastated the English batting, taking the final 4 wickets for only 2 runs to leave England 7 runs short of victory in one of the closest and most nail-biting finishes in cricket history.
It was this result that inspired the famous obituary and gave birth to the Ashes.
1882-83 in Australia
England 2-1
The Honourable Ivo Bligh led the expedition to Australia to "recover the Ashes" for England. Publicity surrounding the series was intense, and it was at some time during this series that the Ashes urn was crafted and presented to Bligh. England succeeded in winning the three-match series 2-1. A fourth Test match on the tour, which Australia won, but is not considered part of the series.
Other Ashes series in the 19th century
- 1884: England 1-0
- 1884-85: England 3-2
- 1886: England 3-0
- 1886-87: England 2-0
- 1887-88: England 1-0
- 1888: England 2-1
- 1890: England 2-0
- 1891-92: Australia 2-1
- 1893: England 1-0
- 1894-95: England 3-2
- 1896: England 2-1
- 1897-98: Australia 4-1
- 1899: Australia 1-0
1901-02 in Australia
Australia 4-1
1903-04 in Australia
England 3-2
1905 in England
England 2-0
1907-08 in Australia
Australia 4-1
1909 in England
Australia 2-1
1911-12 in Australia
England 4-1
1912 in England
England 1-0
1920-21 in Australia
Australia 5-0
1921 in England
Australia 3-0
1924-25 in Australia
Australia 4-1
1926 in England
England 1-0
1928-29 in Australia
England 4-1
1930 in England
Australia 2-1
1932-33 in Australia
England 4-1
The Bodyline series. After Donald Bradman's routing of the English team in the previous series, Douglas Jardine developed a tactic of instructing his fast bowlers to bowl at the bodies of the Australian batsmen, with the goal of forcing them to defend their bodies with their bats, and provide easy catches to a stacked leg side field. Although this won England the Ashes, it caused such a furore in Australia that diplomats had to intervene to prevent serious harm to Anglo-Australian relations.
1934 in England
Australia 2-1
1936-37 in Australia
Australia 3-2
1938 in England
Drawn 1-1
1946-47 in Australia
Australia 3-0
1948 in England
Australia 4-0
Australia's first tour of England after World War II was led by an aging Donald Bradman in his last appearance representing Australia. His team has gone down in cricketing legend as The Invincibles, as they played 36 matches including five Tests, and remained unbeaten on the tour. They won 27 matches, drawing only 9, including of course the 4-0 Ashes series victory.
This series is also known for one of the most poignant moments in cricket history, as Bradman batted for Australia in the fifth Test at The Oval - his last - needing to score only 4 runs to maintain a career batting average of 100. Eric Hollies bowled him for a duck, denying those 4 runs and sending Bradman into retirement with a career average of 99.94.
1950-51 in Australia
Australia 4-1
1953 in England
England 1-0
1954-55 in Australia
England 3-1
1956 in England
England 2-1
1958-59 in Australia
Australia 4-0
1961 in England
Australia 2-1
1962-63 in Australia
Drawn 1-1
1964 in England
Australia 1-0
1965-66 in Australia
Drawn 1-1
1968 in England
Drawn 1-1
1970-71 in Australia
England 2-0
1972 in England
Drawn 2-2
1974-75 in Australia
Australia 4-1
1975 in England
Australia 1-0
1977 in England
England 3-0
1978-79 in Australia
England 5-1
1981 in England
England 3-1
Australia took a 1-0 lead in the first two Tests of this series, and looked to make it 2-0 in the third Test at Headingley when they forced England to follow-on 227 runs behind. Famously, an English bookmaker offered odds of 500-1 for an English victory, and Australian players Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh laid a small bet. This came back to haunt them as England, reduced to 135 for 7 wickets, produced a second innings of 356. Ian Botham scoring an unbeaten 149, in partnership with Chris Old , Graham Dilley and their fast bowler Bob Willis. Chasing 130, Australia were dismissed for 111, with a devastating spell of 8-43 by Willis giving England a miraculous 18-run victory.
The fourth Test at Edgbaston was a similarly inspired comeback victory for England. This time Ian Botham was the star with the ball, taking 5-11 in Australia's second innings of 121 to give England a 29-run victory and the Ashes. England went on to win the fifth Test also, and Lillee and Marsh were reprimanded for betting on the outcome of a game, but not suspended.
1982-83 in Australia
Australia 2-1
1985 in England
England 3-1
1986-87 in Australia
England 2-1
1989 in England
Australia 4-0
1990-91 in Australia
Australia 3-0
1993 in England
Australia 4-1
1994-95 in Australia
Australia 3-1
1997 in England
Australia 3-2
1998-99 in Australia
Australia 3-1
2001 in England
Australia 4-1
2002-03 in Australia
Australia 4-1
This series began with what many regard in hindsight as one of the worst captaincy decisions of all-time. Nasser Hussain won the toss for England in the first Test and sent Australia in to bat. By the end of the first day, Australia had amassed a staggering 364/2, and placed a stamp of authority on the series that would not be undone as they raced to victory by 384 runs. This was followed by two innings victories to Australia, and a comfortable 5-wicket win. England only managed to save some face with a 225-run victory in the final Test.
1st Test, November 7, 2002 – November 10, 2002
Full Scorecard
2nd Test, November 21, 2002 – November 24, 2002
Full Scorecard
3rd Test, November 29, 2002 – December 1, 2002
Full Scorecard
4th Test, December 26, 2002 – December 30, 2002
Full Scorecard
5th Test, January 2, 2003 – January 6, 2003
Full Scorecard
External links
