Ashes Series

The Ashes series is the name of the historical cricket test series, which is played between England and Australia. The Ashes series is a 137-year-old test match series between England and Australia. At least once every two years, this series is alternated between these two countries. In 1882, the Ashes series began. This series has been won 34 times by Australia and 32 times by England. The history of the Ashes series related to its name is very interesting; the word was coined in a humorous obituary published in a British newspaper, The Sporting Times.

The story behind the Ashes series dates back to the time shortly after Australia's first Test victory on English soil, at The Oval, in 1882. According to the obituary, the Sporting Times published an article stating that English cricket had died, and "the body will be cremated, and the ashes will be transferred to Australia." The famous ashes were instantly associated with the 1882–83 Australian series, during which English captain Ivo Bligh swore to "recover those ashes." The tour was dubbed "the hunt to recapture the Ashes" by the English press as a result.

The article focuses the discussion on the history of the ashes series. The article also answers questions like name the historical cricket test series played between England and Australia. Apart from the ashes cup history, the article discusses the key facts related to the test series. 

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Ashes Trophy History And Origin

The Ashes series began in 1882 when the Australian side won the inaugural test on English soil by seven runs. Journalist Shirley Brooks wrote a humorous obituary for this setback in 'The Sporting Times.' English cricket had died, according to the obituary, and "the body will be cremated, and the ashes will be transferred to Australia." As a result, the term "ashes" was coined as a pun.

The next year, the England team went to Australia and won the series 2–1, and the victory was dubbed "bringing Ashes (ash) back to England." Thus the Ashes series came into existence.

The ashes of a burnt cricket bail are said to be held in the Ashes urn, which is constructed of terracotta. The Ashes urn stands about 15 cm (6 inches) tall. The Ashes urn is kept by the winning team as a trophy.

The term "the Ashes" completely vanished from public usage in the 20 years following the first game. There's no evidence that this was the series' official name, at least not in England. The name resurfaced in Australia first, when George Giffen used it as if it were well-known in his memoirs (With Bat and Ball, 1899).

Pelham Warner took a team to Australia in 1903 with the prospect of reclaiming "the ashes," which sparked a worldwide revival of interest in the subject. The name was eagerly adopted by the Australian media, as it had been on Bligh's (captain of England team during the first test matches between the countries) trip 20 years previously, and it remained this time. 

Warner published a book titled “How We Recovered the Ashes” after winning the series. Despite the lack of mention of the term's roots in the book, the title served to rekindle public interest in the legend. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack initially mentions "the Ashes" in 1905, and Wisden's first recounting of the mythology is in the 1922 edition.

Above mentioned is the summarised events of the ashes test series history and the reasons behind naming the test series as such. 

Venues of Ashes series

The series alternates between the United Kingdom and Australia, and each of the five matches is hosted at a different venue inside each country.

The Gabba in Brisbane (which hosted inaugural England–Australia Test in the 1932-33 season), Adelaide Oval (1884-85), Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) (1876-77), and Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) (1881-82) are the current venues in Australia. 

In 1928-29, a solitary Test was held at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground. The boxing day test is traditionally held in Melbourne, while the new year test match is held in Sydney. In addition, the WACA in Perth (1970–71) hosted the final Ashes Test in 2017-18, and Perth Stadium is set to replace it for the 2021–22 series.

Cricket Australia proposed a six matches test series for the 2010–11 season, with an additional game at Bellerive Oval in Hobart. Because the England and Wales Cricket Board refused, the series was split into five Tests.

There are some other venues that include, Old Trafford in Manchester (1884), The Oval in Kennington, South London (1884), Lord's in St John's Wood, North London (1884), Headingley in Leeds (1899), and Edgbaston in Birmingham are the current grounds used in England and Wales. 

The final match of the test series is generally held at the Oval. Between 2020 and 2024, Sophia Gardens and the Riverside were eliminated as Test grounds; therefore, an Ashes Test will not be held until at least 2027. Trent Bridge will not host an Ashes Test in 2019 or 2023, either.

Wins in Ashes cup history

The Ashes is a Test cricket series between England and Australia that has been played for 137 years. So far, 71 Ashes series have been played, with Australia winning 34 times, England 32 times, and five series being tied.

When looking at the total history of the Ashes series, the Australian team has held it for 81 years, while the England team has held it for 56 years. This trophy is maintained by the winning team, and if the series is a tie, the defending champion keeps it. Australia won the most recent Ashes series in 2019.

The overall number of matches played between the countries is 335, out of which Australia won 136 matches while England won 108 matches, there are a total of 91 draw matches. 

Interesting facts about the Ashes Series

Some of the interesting facts about the Ashes test series history are mentioned below,

• The first match was played between Australia and England in 1882-1883 in Oval stadium in England. 

• The International Cricket Council administers the matches of the Ashes series.

• The format of the series is a Test match.

• The record of most runs in the history of the Ashes series is held by Sir Donald Bradman for 5,028 runs.

• The record for most wickets in the ashes trophy history by Shane Wane for 195 runs.

• Australia is the current champion of the Ashes series; the team has a record of 34 series wins.

At the conclusion of the article, we can say that we have developed an understanding of the history of the Ashes series. This is one of the oldest test series in the world, with England and Australia playing each other.