The Ashes
The Ashes is an international cricket match between Australia and England that takes place twice every four years . It usually consists of five tests and is held alternately in the local summer in the two countries. The Ashes are generally considered to be the most traditional and important clash in cricket.
history
Regular test matches between Australia and England have been held since 1877. The Ashes legend goes back to the ninth meeting of the two countries in 1882 in the London Oval . It was England's first home defeat in a game believed to have been won and one of the most competitive cricket tests of all time.
Among other things, the Sporting Times published an obituary for English cricket in a gloss in which it says:
- In fond memory of English cricket, who died in the oval on August 29, 1882. A lamenting, large circle of grieving friends and acquaintances. RIP
- NB. - The body will be cremated and the ashes will be brought to Australia.
The term “ashes” was immediately adopted, and the test series that took place in Australia that same winter had the motto of “recovering the ashes” in England. In this series, the captain of the English team, Ivo Bligh , was given an urn in reference to the events of the previous summer. The urn actually contains ashes, but it is still unclear what was burned. It is believed that it is the remains of a ball, a wicket or a woman's veil. The urn was never the Ashes trophy, but it is well known as a symbol. It remained in the possession of Bligh and was donated by his widow to the Marylebone Cricket Club after his death , where it has been on display ever since.
After a long dry spell, England won the Ashes back for the first time since 1987 in 2005 , but lost them again in 2006/07 after all five games in the series had gone to Australia. In 2009 England was able to bring the Ashes back to England in a highly competitive series and in 2010/11 for the first time in 24 years both won the series in Australia and defended the Ashes.
statistics
Of the 71 Ashes events, Australia won 33 events and England 32, six times the series ended in a draw. In the individual tests, Australia leads with 136 to 108 with 91 draws.
Web links
- FAZ article - Jul. 11, 2013
- Sport T-Online - Jan. 7, 2011