Ever since journalist Reginald Shirley Brooks proclaimed the death of English cricket following Australia’s unexpected victory at The Oval in 1882, the Ashes has been a prominent fixture in the sporting calendar. Staged every other year in alignment with the seasonal summers of the two countries that compete, the Ashes pits England against Australia in a five-test series.
After Ivo Bligh and his team avenged the aforementioned defeat by beating the Aussies in their own backyard several months later, an urn was presented to the English captain.
The urn was said to contain the remnants of a burned wooden bail, a nod to Brooks’ comments regarding the body of English cricket being ‘cremated’ and ‘taken to Australia’ by the triumphant visitors.
To this day, a replica of the urn is held by the team that last won the Ashes, with a drawn series resulting in the previous victor ‘retaining’ the symbolic trophy.
This season’s Ashes series will be staged in Australia, with the first test taking place in Perth towards the end of November.
Further matches at the Gabba, Adelaide Oval, and Melbourne Cricket Ground are scheduled over the subsequent month, before the battle concludes in Sydney during the second week of 2026. Australia currently holds the Ashes after the 2023 draw, having easily swept England aside eighteen months prior.
An evenly-matched contest
There have been 74 series throughout the Ashes’ 143-year history, with a handful cancelled due to the outbreak of the two world wars. Australia boast a marginally superior record, winning on 34 occasions and retaining the urn a further six times following draws. In addition to recording two victories fewer than their fierce rivals, England have only retained once as a consequence of a drawn tie.
However, we can make better sense of the stats when we analyse series outcomes in each of the two host locations. The Baggy Greens tend to do a slightly better job of capitalising on their home advantage, having won two more series in Australia than England have managed on native territory.
These two competitors have celebrated in each other’s homelands on exactly 14 occasions each, while more test matches are typically drawn in England due to the higher potential for cancellations amidst wet weather conditions.
Given the above figures, it’s perhaps unsurprising to note that the Aussies have also recorded more individual test wins. Having won 152 out of the 361 tests played, Australia have emerged triumphant in just over 42% of all Ashes meetings. Meanwhile, the Three Lions have only recorded 112 test triumphs, with 97 ending in stalemate.
As is the case in the context of overall series performances, Australia fare better when both teams play in front of a usually vociferous home support. The Baggy Greens have claimed a colossal 90 (52.3%) wins at Australian venues, while the English are a considerable distance behind after delivering just 54 (31.2%) home victories overall.
The two countries’ contrasting rainfall averages are further exposed here, with 41 more test matches concluding in a draw in England than on Australian soil.
Each team has at one stage won the Ashes on eight consecutive occasions, although these impressive sequences landed more than a century apart. Having acquired the urn following that historic first victory on the other side of the world, England enjoyed a further seven straight successes before Australia eventually ‘recaptured’ the Ashes in 1892.
The six-time World Cup champions were unable to achieve this feat until the turn of the millennium, but it was well worth the wait. Inspired by the bourgeoning talents of fast-paced bowler Glenn McGrath, spin supremo Shane Warne (more on him to follow), and the indomitable Waugh brothers, Australia registered eight successive series wins between 1989 and 2003, as England failed to handle the presence of a new and dynamic threat.
Furthermore, the Baggy Greens hold the record for the longest retention of the Ashes, establishing a nineteen-year hegemony throughout the middle of the last century.
However, this lengthy timeframe only incorporated six Ashes series, as the Second World War disrupted the flow of global sporting events between 1939 and 1945.
Having held the Ashes for a cumulative total of approximately 87 years, Australia’s time in possession of the urn exceeds the duration of England’s intermittent periods of domination by more than three decades.
Australia also remain the only side to have clinched a five-test whitewash, doing so on home turf in the 1920/21, 2006/07, and 2013/14 series.
The 1978/79 tour produced England’s greatest margin of victory, winning 4-1 on foreign shores following exceptional performances at the Gabba, the WACA, the Sydney Cricket Ground, and the Adelaide Oval.
Bowling beauty and Batting brilliance: Shane Warne and Don Bradman
A plethora of cricketing legends have participated in the Ashes, but few were blessed with the extraordinary qualities of Shane Warne and Don Bradman.
Although hailing from different eras and assuming polar opposite roles at the crease, Warne and Bradman shared the same unique ability. Whether by producing a flash of brilliance to spark their teammates into action or single-handedly dismantling the opposition themselves, the Australian duo would often directly influence the outcome of a match.
Both men are unfortunately no longer with us, but their respective accomplishments will serve to inspire future generations of young cricketers. Although this will be their ultimate legacy, the Ashes record books will forever show just how special these two players were.
Shane Warne
No player in history has eliminated more batsmen in the Ashes series than Shane Warne, who claimed an eye-watering 95 wickets in just 36 test matches.
Although he’s accountable for delivering a succession of iconic moments, the very first ball of the Australians’ debut Ashes appearance is undoubtedly the most memorable act of his glittering 23-year career. On a cloudy June day in Manchester, a fresh-faced Warne bamboozled Mike Gatting with a ridiculous leg-spin delivery that would later be dubbed the ‘ball of the century’.
After pitching well outside leg stump, the ball swung violently past the England legend’s planted leg and onto the unprotected stumps behind him, as the cricketing world watched on in disbelief. It was a piece of sorcery from a cricketing magician, who continued to dismiss the most capable batsmen in the business with seemingly effortless ease.
Just over a year on from that gravity-defying bowl at Old Trafford, the former Rajasthan Royals star produced his greatest ever innings in an Ashes clash, claiming eight wickets at a loss of just 71 runs during the first test of the 1994/95 series in Australia.
By the conclusion of his final Ashes test, Warne had taken at least five wickets in a single innings on 11 occasions, consistently kept his bowling average in the low 20s, and tossed almost 11,000 deliveries towards an extensive list of defenceless batsmen.
As well as being arguably the best bowler to ever grace the crease in an Ashes series or otherwise, the affectionately-named ‘King of Spin’ possessed a larger-than-life presence both on and off the pitch, bringing a sense of charm, humour, and vulnerability to a game that was previously criticised for its lack of fun and personality. A giant of the sport.
Don Bradman
Although he plied his trade over 75 years ago, Don Bradman is still fondly remembered to this day. The ‘Boy from Bowral’ registered a staggering 5,028 runs in just 37 Ashes test matches, more than 1,500 more than the series’ next most productive batsmen.
This equates to an 89.78 batting average, an astonishing figure in the context of any first-class cricketing environment. These figures were partially facilitated by twelve 50s and nineteen centuries, as the Australian slogged his way into cricketing folklore.
Bradman’s highest single innings return in the Ashes came in July 1930, when he racked up 334 runs at Headingly to propel Australia into a commanding third test lead. The Cootamundra-born big hitter spent 383 minutes at the crease on that occasion, surviving 447 balls before succumbing to George Tate’s wicked delivery late on.
However, Leanard Hutton holds the record for the most runs ever completed in an Ashes innings, leaving The Oval with a score of 364 just over eight years on from Bradman’s breakthrough triple century.
Having watched him destroy their bowling line-up in the previous two tests, England adopted a rather controversial tactic in an attempt to nullify Bradman’s threat in their 1932/33 tour.
The ‘bodyline’ delivery method involved aggressively targeting the body, while positioning several nearby fielders on the leg side. It was hoped that the batsman’s natural inclination to defend himself would produce a deflection, enabling him to be caught at close quarters by the bowler, wicket keeper, or one of the aforementioned fielders.
The now infamous ‘bodyline’ series – which proved to be the last time this bowling methodology was used following a subsequent rule change – resulted in a resounding victory for England, as the visitors’ ruthless approach paid dividends.
Bradman and his teammates quickly dusted themselves down after that somewhat traumatic experience, proceeding to win three of the next four series before arriving in England in the summer of 1948. The Aussies were full of confidence heading into their first overseas Ashes tour since the end of the Second World War, but few would have predicted them to dominate in such an emphatic way.
After inflicting crushing defeats on the ‘Poms’ at Trent Bridge and Lords in the opening two tests, Australia were unlucky not to claim a third consecutive triumph as the rain undermined their progress in Manchester.
A battling display in the fourth test ensured the visitors would head home with the urn, before England were subjected to a second battering in the capital – this time losing by a full innings and 149 runs at The Oval – at the end of an immensely sobering series for the hosts. As a consequence of this remarkable sequence of results, the 1948 Australia team will forever be referred to as ‘The Invincibles’
What happened last time?
Having failed to recapture the urn in each of their last two attempts following a heavy loss in Australia over five years prior, England entered the 2023 series with a point to prove. However, the Three Lions quickly found themselves under pressure.
After a tight encounter in Birmingham resulted in a narrow Australian victory, England lost out at Lord's despite an inspired batting performance from captain Ben Stokes.
The experienced all-rounder hit more sixes in a single innings than any other player in Ashes history, firing nine strikes over the boundary to help his team rack up 327 runs from just under 500 balls.
It wasn’t enough to chase down the Baggy Greens’ humongous total, so England stared down the barrel of a 2-0 deficit for the first time on home soil since the disastrous summer of 2001.
However, Stokes & Co. rallied at Headingly, hanging on in a low-scoring affair after Moeen Ali claimed the 200th wicket of his test career. Yet another soggy week in Manchester would ultimately end England’s faint hopes of a dramatic comeback, as the fourth test ended all-square thanks to a complete washout on day five.
Nevertheless, the hosts restored some further pride in the final instalment of the series, as a dominant second innings display ensured Stuart Broad ended his last-ever test match on the winning side.
Previous winners
We’ve provided a complete list of Ashes results below, covering every outcome between the first meeting in the Australian summer of 1882/83 and the most recent match-up just over two years ago.
The location of each series is identifiable by the date(s) provided, with England assuming hosting duties when just one calendar year is expressed (matches are typically played between June and September) and Australia picking up the mantle in instances where two calendar years are referenced (matches are typically played between November and January).
1882/83: England
1884: England
1884/5: England
1886: England
1886/87: England
1887/88: England
1888: England
1890: England
1891/92: Australia
1893: England
1894/95: England
1896: England
1897/98: Australia
1899: Australia
1901/02: Australia
1902: Australia
1903/04: England
1905: England
1907/08: Australia
1909: Australia
1911/12: England
1912: England
1920/21: Australia
1921: Australia
1924/25: Australia
1926: England
1928/29: England
1930: Australia
1932/33: England
1934: Australia
1936/37: Australia
1938: Draw (Australia retain)
1946/47: Australia
1948: Australia
1950/51: Australia
1953: England
1954/55: England
1956: England
1958/59: Australia
1961: Australia
1962/63: Draw (Australia retain)
1964: Australia
1965/66: Draw (Australia retain)
1968: Draw (Australia retain)
1970/71: England
1972: Draw (England retain)
1974/75: Australia
1975: Australia
1977: England
1978/79: England
1981: England
1982/83: Australia
1985: England
1986/87: England
1989: Australia
1990/91: Australia
1993: Australia
1994/95: Australia
1997: Australia
1998/99: Australia
2001: Australia
2002/03: Australia
2005: England
2006/07: Australia
2009: England
2010/11: England
2013: England
2013/14: Australia
2015: England
2017/18: Australia
2019: Draw (Australia retain)
2021/22: Australia
2023: Draw (Australia retain)
N.B. Australia drew and consequently retained the Ashes in 1938, 1962/63, 1965/66, 1968, 2019, and 2023. England retained the Ashes after drawing with their familiar foes in 1972