The Ashes, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the cricket world, has captivate fans for nearly 140 years with its fierce rivalry between England and Australia. The origin of the tournament’s name, which refers to the residual remains of something burnt.
Birth of the Ashes
The term ‘Ashes‘ can be trace back to England’s historic defeat at the Oval in London in 1882, marking Australia’s first-ever victory over England in a cricket match.
England was bowl out for a just 77 runs, and Australia triumph by a narrow four-run margin.
The humiliating loss brought immense criticism upon the English cricket team, and it was figuratively deem ‘dead.’
In response, ‘The Sporting Times,’ a newspaper at the time, publish a mock obituary for the ‘dead‘ English team, humorously declaring that the ashes of the team would be taken to Australia for cremation.
Consequently, the subsequent Test series between the two sides came to be known as the “quest to regain the ashes.“
A few weeks later, during England’s tour of Australia, English captain Ivo Bligh was present with a small terracotta urn as a symbol of the Ashes he had vow to reclaim.
This presentation took place after a social match near Melbourne on the eve of the cricketing events in 1882.
Following England’s victory in two out of the three Tests, a small urn was bestow upon Bligh by a group of Melbourne women, including Floren Murphy, whom Bligh would marry within a year.
Humorously, the contents of the urn were said to be the ashes of an Australian cricket bail, symbolizing ‘the ashes of Australian Cricket.‘
The original Ashes urn is now at the Marylebone Cricket Club, located at the iconic Lord’s ground in London.
The victorious team in the Ashes series receives a replica urn as a symbol of their triumph.
Till date, there have 72 Ashes series.
Out of these, Australia has emerge victorious in 34, England in 32, and six series have ended in a draw.
