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The Ashes series is a regular international cricket contest between England and Australia, played every two years, so 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 custom arose when, after this game, The 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 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 Lords. 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).
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 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 ony 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.
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 duirng this series that the Ashes urn was crafted and presented to Bligh. England succeeded in winning the three-match series 2-1. The series was so popular that authorities hastily arranged a fourth Test match on the tour, which Australia won, but as this was arranged after the series had been decided it is not considered part of the series.
England 1-0
England 3-2
England 3-0
England 2-0
England 1-0
England 2-1
England 2-0
Australia 2-1
England 1-0
England 3-2
England 2-1
Australia 4-1
Australia 1-0
Australia 4-1
England 3-2
England 2-0
Australia 4-1
Australia 2-1
England 4-1
England 1-0
Australia 5-0
Australia 3-0
Australia 4-1
England 1-0
England 4-1
Australia 2-1
England 4-1
The Bodyline series. After Don 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.
Australia 2-1
Australia 3-2
Drawn 1-1
Australia 3-0
Australia 4-0
Australia's first tour of England after World War II was led by an aging Don 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.
Australia 4-1
England 1-0
England 3-1
England 2-1
Australia 4-0
Australia 2-1
Drawn 1-1
Australia 1-0
Drawn 1-1
Drawn 1-1
England 2-0
Drawn 2-2
Australia 4-1
Australia 1-0
England 3-0
England 5-1
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 produced a second innings of 356 and their fast bowler Bob Willis took 8-43 to destroy Australia for 111, giving England a miraculous 18-run victory.
The fourth Test at Edgbaston was a similarly inspired comeback victory for England, led this time by Ian Botham who took 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.
Australia 2-1
England 3-1
England 2-1
Australia 4-0
Australia 3-0
Australia 4-1
Australia 3-1
Australia 3-2
Australia 3-1
Australia 4-1
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.
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