In the world of cricket, many rivalries between competing nations have come and gone and delivered an endless number of nail-biting encounters which fans could only dream of. One of the long-standing test rivalries in this sport that still generates an enormous amount of passion in its fans is the Australia vs England series. Although the first test match between these countries was played in 1877, the series wasn’t dubbed as “The Ashes” until much later.
It all began in 1882 when England were beaten by Australia in what would be the ninth test event between the two. The British Press had covered this defeat extensively and one such piece was Reginald Shirley Brooks’ mock obituary of English Cricket. This obituary has now been accepted as the origin for the moniker “The Ashes”.
However, the credit for making this moniker popular goes to Plum Warner, who through his book How We Recovered The Ashes, revived the myth of the Ashes post the MCC’s tour of Australia in 1903-04. In modern times, the winner of this series is awarded the Ashes trophy which unsurprisingly resembles an urn. In case of a draw, the previous holder retains the trophy.
What makes this series interesting is not the eerie name but the quality of cricket being offered. England and Australia have always been the dominant teams in this sport and sparks always fly during this event.
One such example was the 2005 series where England reclaimed the Ashes after 19 years by winning the series 2-1. This close victory put an end to Australia’s domination of the Ashes, a feat which began in 1989.
Held biennially, the next edition of the Ashes will be organized in Australia in 2021. Australia is the current holder of the Ashes as the 2019 event resulted in a draw. With the popularity of tests on the decline and the rise of T20s as the swifter version of this sport, all eyes will be on Tim Paine and Joe Root as both captains look to etch their names in history while competing in cricket’s oldest rivalry.
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