The Ashes Series History – Why 2 Cricket Historic Nations Fight For Ashes

Most cricket fans seek to know about the Ashes series history. Because it is that kind of series where Australia and England fight like arch-rivals which seem like India and Pakistan rivalry. The supporters of these two cricket nations will be piped when are England and Australia met in the Ashes series. However, the Ashes series history started in 1882. Since then, this Ashes series has been entertaining both countries cricket lovers just like a World Cup.

In a 2006 worldwide survey, 77 percent of cricket fans voted that watching the Ashes series meant more to us than watching a World Cup. So it’s understandable how much craze the Ashes have among all Test series. But how did the Ashes series, which has a history of almost 139 years, get its name? Why do these two countries, which have a long cricketing history, fight for the ashes? Why does this series take place between these two teams only? For whom Ashes are they fighting? What is the Ashes series history? So let’s get clear about all about this in this article.

The Ashes Series History

Melbourne was the venue for the first-ever international cricket match between England and Australia in 1877. Since then, the two teams have started playing a Test series each year. However, one year, that test series have played on English soil and another on Australian soil. Consequently, the host country wins the series when the series is played for the first five years. But it was reversed in 1882 and planted a seed for the Ashes series history.

The Australian team arrived in England to play a series which contains only one Test match. Australia won the toss in that match and elected to bat first, which began at the Oval Stadium on August 28, 1882. However, as the England bowlers bowled superbly, the Australian batsmen lined up one after the other to the pavilion. Australia was all out for just 63 runs in their first innings. Especially in the Australian innings, eight players are out for a single-digit score. It describes how England bowlers bowled beautifully in that innings.

Therefore by the end of Australia’s first innings, English supporters began to celebrate that they would win the match. But the whole picture changed when Australia started bowling. The England batsmen also queued up for the pavilion just like the Australian batsmen did earlier. But still, the England team scored 101 runs and took a 38-run crucial lead in the first innings. However, Australia made a valuable comeback in the second innings and doubled their first innings score.

Opener Hugh Massie scored a fantastic half-century which helped Australia to put 122 runs on the board. But still, England’s target is only 85 runs. Hence looking at such a tiny target, England enthusiasts imagine that their team will win that match. But Frederick Spofforth, who took seven wickets in England’s first innings, was also bowled brilliantly in the second innings. He just gave 44 runs in 28 overs and once again took a seven-wicket haul.

England was all out for just 77 in their second innings and unable to chase even the smallest target of 85 runs and lost the match by seven runs difference. They faced defeat on their turf for the first time in the history of cricket.

The Begining Of The Ashes Series History (1882)

The followers, along with the England team, couldn’t digest their defeat. The England media also started criticizing their team as they lost the series for the first time on their home soil. During this time, The Sporting Times of England published a sarcastic article mocking England’s defeat as “English Cricket Which Died at the Oval on August 29, 1882”. Also, they put a tagline under this title saying that we are very inadequate for this incident as our tribute to English cricket.

However, they wrote a note under this tagline stating RIP, which creates a path for the Ashes history. “English cricket body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia,” they wrote in their article. The article prompted a vast deal of controversy at the time. The British nation, which ruled the world at that time, could not bear the disgrace they faced on their soil.

At this time, Ivo Bligh was selected as the new captain of the England team. Bligh took the article very seriously and pledged in front of the English media. He made that “in the subsequent visit of Australia, we will defeat them and bring back the Ashes.” The English media named the series “The Quest to Regain the Ashes.” So the Ashes series history took a colossal step followed this iconic series.

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The Quest to Regain the Ashes (1882-83)

The title created an atmosphere of war between the supporters of the two countries. Their fans put a lot of pressure on the English team to bring our Ashes back at any cost. Also, since then, the series has started to be called The Ashes. But still, these ashes were just a myth, not visible to anyone. The ashes series history just kicked up as the England team was ready to regain their Ashes.

In December 1882, the England team traveled to Australia to play a three-test matches series against Australia. However, England lost the first Test at Melbourne on December 30. But the following year, in January 1883, England beat Australia 2-1 in the other two Tests to acquire the first-ever series victory on Australian soil. At that time, a women group in Melbourne burnt a wooden bail on the stumps, put its ashes in an urn, and gifted it to the Bligh. English fans named it the ashes of Australia cricket and celebrated the recovery of the Ashes to England.

So from then on, the two teams took the Ashes very seriously and started playing with the resolution to win the series anyway and keep those Ashes in their country. However, A year after the incident, Bligh married Florence Morphy, a woman from the women’s group who had given the ashes to Bligh. With that, the urn was considered as a personal gift to Bligh and presented to him. So the series got its name from the Ashes, but there is no trophy to represent it physically. So the Ashes series history hasn’t any physical representation.

The Ashes Trophy (1927)

However, the series gained much popularity after its success in 1883. Whenever the Ashes series took place between these two countries, their supporters went crazy. They enjoyed it like a cricket world cup. Therefore England tried to make some trophies as a replica of the urn which was present at Bligh. But the trophy was not officially set until 1925. However, after Bligh died in 1927, his wife Florence provided a duplicate urn to Lord’s Cricket Club. Also, the urn containing the original ashes is kept in the MCC museum.

Accordingly, when Bligh’s wife gave that identical urn to MCC, it became the official trophy for the Ashes series history. So this Ashes trophy that we are currently looking at is the same one. However, during the 1998-99 Ashes series, the trophy was too small, and a crystal trophy was brought in as a replica. Since then, whoever wins the series will be presented with both the glass trophy and the urn.

Domination Of Australia (1989-03)

Australia dominated the Ashes series, which was considered a war between the two countries. At one point, Australia won eight consecutive Ashes series from 1989 to 2003. So it became history when England won the Ashes series in 2005. Also, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, who played excellently in the series, got a good name after England won the Ashes series after almost 20 years. The Flintoff All-round show was one of the main reasons behind England winning the series that year.

The Ashes Series Stats (1882-2021)

Ashes have been played a total of 72 times between the two teams so far. Australia has won the Ashes 34 times, while the English team has won the series 32 times. The other six times, the Ashes series was drawn.

Total Number Of Series Played – 72
Australia Won – 34
England Won – 32
Series Drawn – 8

The leading run-scorer in the Ashes series history is Don Bradman. He scored 5028 runs in 37 matches.

The leading wicket-taker in the Ashes series history is Shane Warne. He took 195 wickets in 36 matches.

So these are quick stats of the Ashes series history. If you want complete stats, click here.