The Ashes

The Ashes is series of international cricket matches played between England and Australia. The series began in 1882, when Australia won its first Test match in England. Newspapers at the time joked that this was a symbol of the death of English cricket, saying that the body would be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. England's cricket captain said before England's next match against Australia that he would "regain those ashes". 

The two teams usually play a series of five matches once every two years. There have been 73 of these series. Australia has won 34 of them and England has won 32, with the others being draws. 

 The trophy 
A small urn was given to England's captain, Ivo Bligh, after England won the 1882–83 Ashes series. The urn was supposed to contain the ashes of a burnt cricket bail, and was described as "the ashes of Australian cricket". An urn (possibly the same one) was given to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) by Bligh's widow after he died, and this urn is used (unofficially) as the trophy that the teams try to win. A replica of the urn is usually given to the winning team after each series, but the original urn stays in the MCC's museum.

Related pages
 Soccer Ashes
 The Women's Ashes

Ashes, The