Jose Sanchez
Research expert covering society, economy, & politics for Latin America
The Ashes- statistics & facts
Every great rivalry needs a good backstory. In the case of The Ashes, the smoldering, fierce, and long-running battle between English and Australian cricket originated from a joke. Following England鈥檚 first cricketing defeat to Australia on home soil in 1882, the Sporting Times quipped that English cricket had died, and its ashes had been taken to Australia. Later that year, the England team toured Australia and, after winning a three-match competition, was presented with an urn said to contain ashes of burnt bails. Although the urn was replaced as the official trophy in 1999, retaining the ashes, symbolic or otherwise, has remained a point of pride between England and Australia. So far, the longest either side has retained The Ashes is 19 years, when Australia held the urn between 1934 and 1953.
