List of Ashes series

The Ashes urn, which remains at the MCC Museum at Lord's. A replica urn is presented to the winning captain.^[1]

The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The series have varied in length, consisting of between one and six Test matches, but since 1998 have been consistently five matches. It is one of sport's most celebrated rivalries and dates back to 1882.^[2][3][4] It is generally played biennially, alternating between the United Kingdom and Australia. England are the current holders of the Ashes, having won the 2015 series.

Although the first Test series played between England and Australia was in the 1876–77 season,^{[note 1][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] The Honourable 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 their loss to Australia in 1882, England won the next eight series between the two sides, during which time they lost only four of the 22 Tests. Australia won an Ashes series for the first time in 1891–92, when they 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 their 29 other matches against county and representative sides.^[12]

Australia have won more Ashes Tests than England, winning 130 of the 325 matches, compared to England's 106 victories. Australia and England have each won an Ashes Series on 32 occasions. There have been five drawn series, and on four of these occasions, Australia have retained the Ashes due to being holders going into the series. England have retained the Ashes after a drawn series once. On only three occasions has a team won all the Tests in an Ashes series; Australia won all five matches in 1920–21, then repeated the feat in 2006–07 and in 2013–14.^[6] England's largest winning margin in an Ashes series was in 1978–79, when they won 5–1. Both England and Australia have held the Ashes for eight series in a row, England doing so between 1882–83 and 1890, while Australia achieved the feat from 1989 to 2002–03.^[6] Since 1882, a small number of Test series have been played between the two sides that have not been allocated as Ashes series; those played in 1976–77, 1979–80, 1980 and 1987–88,^[6] these series are not listed in the table below.

Key

• 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.

Ashes series

The Honourable Ivo Bligh captained England during their first Ashes series.^[1]

Jack Hobbs (left) and Herbert Sutcliffe were two of England's most successful batsmen in the Ashes.^[13]

Don Bradman (left), who has scored more runs in the Ashes than any other player, at the toss of the first Test of the 1936–37 Ashes with Gubby Allen.^[14]

Shane Warne played for Australia in 14 years of Ashes Tests, taking a record 195 Test wickets.^[15]

Summary of results

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

• Williamson, Martin. "A short history of the Ashes". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2011-02-19. 

The Ashes
List of Ashes series (white – in England, yellow – in Australia)
1850	1884 1886 1888 1890 1893 1896 1899 1882–83 1884–85 1886–87 1887–88 1891–92 1894–95 1897–98
1900	1902 1905 1909 1912 World War I 1921 1926 1930 1934 1938 World War II 1948 1901–02 1903–04 1907–08 1911–12 1920–21 1924–25 1928–29 1932–33 1936–37 1946–47
1950	1953 1956 1961 1964 1968 1972 1975 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 1950–51 1954–55 1958–59 1962–63 1965–66 1970–71 1974–75 1978–79 1982–83 1986–87 1990–91 1994–95 1998–99
2000	2001 2005 2009 2013 2015 2002–03 2006–07 2010–11 2013–14 2017–18
Non-Ashes Australia v England Test series 1876–77 1878–79 1880 1881–82 1882 1945 1976–77 1979–80 1980 1987–88