Over the years nothing quite compares to the footballing rivalry which is the Ashes that even includes battered bodies and bloodied faces for more than one hundred years of fighting between England and Australia.
At just over 10 centimetres tall, the original Ashes urn can be found in the Marylebone Cricket Club museum at the Lord’s cricket ground in London which is also very famous.
The very first use of this term “Ashes” appears after the defeat of England against Australia on English soil at The Oval ground in London in the year 1882.
After the Australians won the match, Journalist Reginald Shirley Brooks from the Sporting Times published a fake obituary for English cricket that stated this: `In affectionate remembrance of English cricket which went off at The Oval on 29th day of August 1882.
Within a few weeks, England prepared to visit Australia which culminated in Ivo Bligh, captain of the English cricket team, receiving a tiny earthenware vase commonly referred to as ‘the Ashes’ on Christmas Day in 1882 after a ‘friendly’ game played near Melbourne.
Bligh’s daughter-in-law recalled in 1998 that this vase contains a part of her late mother-in-law’s veil, but others suspect it is a burnt cricket bail turned into a vessel.
This series saw Australia’s best response: in the 1932/33 “Bodyline” series, the English team, captained by Douglas Jardine, was able to see fast balls from their bowlers sent straight to the body of the opposing Australian batsmen in lieu of stumps instead, hoping that as they do so, the batsman gets out.
However, this aggressive approach, spearheaded by England’s strike bowler, Harold Larwood and considered bad sportsmanship saw England winning the series in the ire of battered opponents.
The name ‘Botham’s Ashes’ was coined in the 1981 series to mean the last series of Ashes before the English team was defeated, where Ian Botham, the all-rounder starred with both bat and ball for the English team to win.
Who can forget Shane Warne, the Australian spin wizard’s part in Ashes when in 1993, he produced one of maiden tests ‘the ball of the century’ – sending Mike Gatting on his knees.
The most brilliantly contested Ashes series has possibly been that of 2005 when England led by Andrew Flintoff and backed by Kevin Pieterson defeated an Australian team strong with gladiators.
A brutal assault handed to the Australians during this series – England’s first triumph in the Ashes in 1986/87. Started very early on in the first Test when a bouncer from Steve Harmison caused Ricky Ponting to have blood all over his face after getting hit.
The most recent Ashes was held in England in 2023 and finished in a 2-2 stalemate after Australia won the first two Tests and England took the third and fifth tests. The fourth Test was played and ended in a no result.
Australia has had possession of the Ashes since 2018 and England will now seek to reclaim the urn during the tour of Australia in the 2025-26 season.
The Ashes campaign is understood in this country and internationally as being more than a battle for a trophy. It transforms itself into a sporting event that is known and awaited in all the masses. It is always accompanied by fierce rivalry and claims a lot of historical sentiment.
