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Ashes History

The Ashes history spans more than a century and is rich with intense rivalry, disagreements and even mystery (for example, what exactly does the Ashes urn contain?) In fact it could be said that the Ashes history has all the makings of a good movie, but for now let’s summarise the Ashes history in writing.

The year 1882 is always a good starting point for any discussion of the Ashes history, because that was the year in which Australia beat England at the Oval. England’s embarrassing defeat led to the publication of a mock obituary in the Sporting Life which stated that, “The body [of the England cricket team] will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.” England toured in Australia later that year – a trip that the media referred to as a quest to bring the ashes home – and thus began the Ashes history proper.

For serious cricket fans, every Ashes series that has taken place since 1882 has been a vital part of the Ashes history, but that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been some significant highlights in the Ashes history. Some of the most notable moments in the Ashes history are as follows:

• The Ashes urn became part of the Ashes history when a group of women from  Melbourne presented it to England Captain Ivo in the 1882-83 tour in Australia. England won that first Ashes series 2-1.

• The Ashes series in 1894-95 was the first to consist of five Test matches, setting a precedent for today’s competition as well as being an important part of the Ashes history.

• In 1911-12, England won the Ashes series 4-1. It was the last Ashes series to be played before the start of World War I.

• Australia set a new record in the Ashes history by beating England 5-0 for the first time in 1920-21.

• A world record was set by Englishman Len Hutton by scoring 364 at the Oval in 1938 – something that will always be a part of the Ashes history.

• In 1946-47, England toured in Australia for the first time since World War II. Australia beat England 3-0.

• In 1986-87, England beat Australia 2-1 under the captaincy of Mike Gatting. It was the last victory for England until....

• England beat Australia in the 2005 Ashes series. This was the first England victory on home turf since 1985.

• Australia stunned England in 2006-07 with a 5-0 win – certainly a notable moment in the Ashes history for all concerned.

As we said earlier, the Ashes history is such that every Ashes series could be mentioned as being notable in some way. The next Ashes series will no doubt offer something new to add to the Ashes history, and that’s one of the things that makes every Ashes competition so exciting.

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