The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The series have varied in length, consisting of between one and seven Test matches, but since 1998 have been consistently five matches. It is the sport's most celebrated rivalry and dates back to 1882.[2][3][4] It is generally played biennially, alternating between the United Kingdom and Australia. Australia are the current holders of the Ashes, having retained them with a draw in the 2023 series.

A terracotta urn with two brass plaques on it sits on a wooden base. The urn is on display, with the glass surround and other exhibits visible in the background.
The Ashes urn, which remains at the MCC Museum at Lord's. A replica urn is presented to the winning captain.[1]

History

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Although the first Test series played between England and Australia was in the 1876–77 season,[5][6] the Ashes originated from the solitary Test which the two nations contested in 1882.[7] England lost the match, played at The Oval, and a mock obituary was posted in The Sporting Times, declaring the death of English cricket. It stated that: "The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia."[8] Ivo Bligh adopted the term and, as captain of the English party that travelled to Australia the following winter, promised to bring the "Ashes" home.[1]

After its loss to Australia in 1882, England won the next eight series between the two sides, during which time it lost only four of the 22 Tests. Australia won an Ashes series for the first time in 1891–92, when it beat England 2–1.[6] The 1932–33 tour was known as the "Bodyline series" as, in response to the talented Australian batsman Don Bradman, England developed a tactic of bowling quickly at the body of the batsmen with most of the fielders placed in a close ring on the leg side.[9] England won the series, but the tactic prompted changes to the laws of cricket,[9] and the Australians, buoyed by the batting of Bradman,[10] regained the Ashes during the next series and then held them for six series, spanning nineteen years.[6] It was during this period that the Australians travelled to England in 1948, and remained unbeaten during the whole tour, gaining the nickname of "The Invincibles".[11] In addition to winning the five match Test series 4–0, Australia won or drew all of its 29 other matches against county and representative sides.[12]

Since 1882, only one series has been played between the two sides that was not deemed an Ashes series, that being the 3 Test Cricket series in the Australian summer of 1979–80, won by Australia 3–0. This was the first Australian home Test series with a unified team after two summers of World Series Cricket and was not deemed an ashes series as England had retained the Ashes 5–1 on Australian soil 12 months earlier. On three other occasions, a one-off commemorative Test Match was played in which the Ashes were not at stake, which were the 1977 Melbourne Centenary Test, the 1980 Lords Centenary Test and the 1988 Bicentennial Test played at the SCG in January 1988.[6]

Series records

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Australia has won more Ashes Tests than England, winning 140 of the 340 matches, compared to England's 108 victories. Australia also holds the edge in Ashes series won, having won on 34 occasions compared to England's 32. There have been seven drawn series, and on six of these occasions, Australia has retained the Ashes due to being holders going into the series. England has retained the Ashes after a drawn series once.

On three occasions has a team won all the Tests in an Ashes series; only Australia has achieved the feat 5–0 in 1920–21, 2006–07 and 2013–14.[6] England's largest winning margin in an Ashes series was in 1978–79, when it won 5–1. England's largest unbeaten winning margin of 3–0 in an Ashes series was achieved in 1886, 1977 and 2013.

Both England and Australia have held the Ashes for a record eight consecutive series, England doing so between 1882–83 and 1890, while Australia achieved the feat from 1989 to 2002–03.[6]

  • Years denotes the cricket season in which the series takes place.
  • Host denotes the host country for the series.
  • First match denotes the date on which the first match of the series commenced.
  • Tests denotes how many Tests were played in the series, and in parentheses (if different) the number of Tests that were scheduled to be played in the series.
  • Australia denotes how many matches in the series were won by Australia.
  • England denotes how many matches in the series were won by England.
  • Drawn denotes how many matches in the series were drawn.
  • Result denotes which side won the series overall, or if it was drawn.
  • Holder denotes which side was awarded (or retained) the Ashes at the end of the series of the matches

List of Ashes series

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World War 2World War 1
S Years Host First match T   Australia   England D Result Holder Ref
1 1882–83   Australia 30 December 1882 3 1 2 0   England [13]
2 1884   England 11 July 1884 3 0 1 2   England [14]
3 1884–85   Australia 12 December 1884 5 2 3 0   England [15]
4 1886   England 5 July 1886 3 0 3 0   England [16]
5 1886–87   Australia 28 January 1887 2 0 2 0   England [17]
6 1887–88   Australia 10 February 1888 1 0 1 0   England [18]
7 1888   England 16 July 1888 3 1 2 0   England [19]
8 1890   England 21 July 1890 2 (3) 0 2 0   England [20]
9 1891–92   Australia 1 January 1892 3 2 1 0   Australia [21]
10 1893   England 17 July 1893 3 0 1 2   England [22]
11 1894–95   Australia 14 December 1894 5 2 3 0   England [23]
12 1896   England 22 June 1896 3 1 2 0   England [24]
13 1897–98   Australia 13 December 1897 5 4 1 0   Australia [25]
14 1899   England 1 June 1899 5 1 0 4   Australia [26]
15 1901–02   Australia 13 December 1901 5 4 1 0   Australia [27]
16 1902   England 29 May 1902 5 2 1 2   Australia [28]
17 1903–04   Australia 11 December 1903 5 2 3 0   England [29]
18 1905   England 29 May 1905 5 0 2 3   England [30]
19 1907–08   Australia 13 December 1907 5 4 1 0   Australia [31]
20 1909   England 27 May 1909 5 2 1 2   Australia [32]
21 1911–12   Australia 15 December 1911 5 1 4 0   England [33]
22 1912   England 27 May 1912 3 0 1 2   England [34]
23 1920–21   Australia 17 December 1920 5 5 0 0   Australia [35]
24 1921   England 28 May 1921 5 3 0 2   Australia [36]
25 1924–25   Australia 19 December 1924 5 4 1 0   Australia [37]
26 1926   England 12 June 1926 5 0 1 4   England [38]
27 1928–29   Australia 30 November 1928 5 1 4 0   England [39]
28 1930   England 13 June 1930 5 2 1 2   Australia [40]
29 1932–33   Australia 2 December 1932 5 1 4 0   England [41]
30 1934   England 8 June 1934 5 2 1 2   Australia [42]
31 1936–37   Australia 4 December 1936 5 3 2 0   Australia [43]
32 1938   England 10 June 1938 4 (5) 1 1 2 Drawn   Australia [44]
33 1946–47   Australia 29 November 1946 5 3 0 2   Australia [45]
34 1948   England 10 June 1948 5 4 0 1   Australia [46]
35 1950–51   Australia 1 December 1950 5 4 1 0   Australia [47]
36 1953   England 11 June 1953 5 0 1 4   England [48]
37 1954–55   Australia 26 November 1954 5 1 3 1   England [49]
38 1956   England 7 June 1956 5 1 2 2   England [50]
39 1958–59   Australia 5 December 1958 5 4 0 1   Australia [51]
40 1961   England 8 June 1961 5 2 1 2   Australia [52]
41 1962–63   Australia 30 November 1962 5 1 1 3 Drawn   Australia [53]
42 1964   England 4 June 1964 5 1 0 4   Australia [54]
43 1965–66   Australia 10 December 1965 5 1 1 3 Drawn   Australia [55]
44 1968   England 6 June 1968 5 1 1 3 Drawn   Australia [56]
45 1970–71   Australia 27 November 1970 6 (7) 0 2 4   England [57]
46 1972   England 8 June 1972 5 2 2 1 Drawn   England [58]
47 1974–75   Australia 29 November 1974 6 4 1 1   Australia [59]
48 1975   England 10 July 1975 4 1 0 3   Australia [60]
49 1977   England 16 June 1977 5 0 3 2   England [61]
50 1978–79   Australia 1 December 1978 6 1 5 0   England .[62]
51 1981   England 18 June 1981 6 1 3 2   England [63]
52 1982–83   Australia 12 November 1982 5 2 1 2   Australia [64]
53 1985   England 13 June 1985 6 1 3 2   England [65]
54 1986–87   Australia 14 November 1986 5 1 2 2   England [66]
55 1989   England 8 June 1989 6 4 0 2   Australia [67]
56 1990–91   Australia 23 November 1990 5 3 0 2   Australia [68]
57 1993   England 3 June 1993 6 4 1 1   Australia [69]
58 1994–95   Australia 25 November 1994 5 3 1 1   Australia [70]
59 1997   England 5 June 1997 6 3 2 1   Australia [71]
60 1998–99   Australia 20 November 1998 5 3 1 1   Australia [72]
61 2001   England 5 July 2001 5 4 1 0   Australia [73]
62 2002–03   Australia 7 November 2002 5 4 1 0   Australia [74]
63 2005   England 21 July 2005 5 1 2 2   England [75]
64 2006–07   Australia 23 November 2006 5 5 0 0   Australia [76]
65 2009   England 8 July 2009 5 1 2 2   England [77]
66 2010–11   Australia 25 November 2010 5 1 3 1   England [78]
67 2013   England 10 July 2013 5 0 3 2   England [79]
68 2013–14   Australia 21 November 2013 5 5 0 0   Australia [80]
69 2015   England 8 July 2015 5 2 3 0   England [81]
70 2017–18   Australia 23 November 2017 5 4 0 1   Australia [82]
71 2019   England 1 August 2019 5 2 2 1 Drawn   Australia [83]
72 2021–22   Australia 8 December 2021 5 4 0 1   Australia [84]
73 2023   England 16 June 2023 5 2 2 1 Drawn   Australia [85]
74 2025–26   Australia 21 November 2025

Summary of results

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Played Won by
Australia
Won by
England
Drawn
Ashes Tests in Australia 172 90 (52.3%) 56 (32.6%) 26 (15.1%)
Ashes Tests in England 173 52 (30.1%) 54 (31.2%) 67 (38.7%)
All Ashes Tests 345 142 (41.2%) 110 (31.9%) 93 (27%)
ALL Tests 361 152 (42.1%) 112 (30.7%) 97 (26.9%)
Ashes Series in Australia 36 20 (54.3%) 14 (40%) 2 (5.7%)
Ashes Series in England 37 14 (37.8%) 18 (48.6%) 5 (13.5%)
All Ashes Series 73 34 (46.6%) 32 (43.8%) 7* (9.6%)
As at 31 July 2023

*Ashes retained by Australia six times because of drawn series (1938; 1962-63; 1965-66; 1968; 2019 and 2023) and by England once (1972).

Notes and references

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Notes
References
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  2. ^ Martin, Jack (15 November 2010). "Ashes series set to reignite old rivalry". CNN Traveller. CNN. Archived from the original on 27 January 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  3. ^ Marks, Vic (26 September 2010). "Return of Ashes spirit can lift England out of post-Pakistan mire". The Observer. London: Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  4. ^ "Top 10 Rivalries". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  5. ^ "Match/series archive". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 16 March 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Records / England / Test matches / Series results". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  7. ^ Williamson, Martin. "A short history of the Ashes". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 29 January 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  8. ^ Altham, H.S.; Swanton, E.W. (1938) [1926]. "England v Australia: 1882–1890". A History of Cricket (Second ed.). London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. p. 170.
  9. ^ a b ESPNcricinfo staff. "A dummy's guide to Bodyline". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  10. ^ "Ashes to Ashes: The Bradman years". Cricket365.com. 20 November 2010. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  11. ^ "Sporting greats – Australia reveres and treasures its sporting heroes". Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011. The 1948 Australian cricket team captained by Don Bradman, for example, became known as 'The Invincibles' for their unbeaten eight-month tour of England. This team is one of Australia's most cherished sporting legends.
  12. ^ "Australians in England, 1948". ESPNcricinfo. 30 May 2008. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2011. Originally published in: Preston, Hubert, ed. (1949). Wisden Cricketer's Almanack 1949 (86 ed.). London: Sporting Handbooks Ltd.
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