Vaibhav AroraAlthough the first Test match between Australia and England was played way back in 1877, the term Ashes came into existence a few years later in 1882. The history of the most keenly contested series in the world of cricket is as colourful as the reason behind the coining of the term Ashes.
It was the result of England’s first-ever home defeat at the hands of the visiting Australian team in a Test match played at the Oval in August 1882 that prompted a journalist to publish an obituary of English cricket in a London based newspaper.
It read:
In Affectionate Remembrance
of
ENGLISH CRICKET,
which died at the Oval
on
29th AUGUST, 1882,
Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing
friends and acquaintances
R.I.P.
N.B.—The body will be cremated and the
ashes taken to Australia. A few weeks after that infamous defeat, an English cricket team lead by Ivo Bligh embarked on a tour of Australia, vowing to bring back the Ashes. The English team won the three Test series 2-1 and came back with a symbolic urn, believed to have been presented to them at a private party.
The term Ashes was lost from public memory soon after the victory and did not resurface in popular conversations for close to twenty years. The phrase was reintroduced first in Australia by George Giffen in his memoirs. But Ashes truly became a part of common cricketing terminology in 1903 when an English cricket team under the leadership of Pelham Warner went on a tour Down Under with the promise of bringing back the Ashes.
Warner was successful in his quest and published his account of the tour in a book named ‘How We Recovered the Ashes’.
Although the origin of the first Ashes urn remains a matter of dispute to this day, it is believed to be the one presented to Ivo Bligh in 1882. The contents of that urn, according to MCC officials, are the remains of a cricket bail.
The lines on the urn read:
When Ivo goes back with the urn, the urn;
Studds, Steel, Read and Tylecote return, return;
The welkin will ring loud,
The great crowd will feel proud,
Seeing Barlow and Bates with the urn, the urn;
And the rest coming home with the urn. The urn was kept at Ivo Bligh’s house, away from public view until 1927, which after his death, was given to the MCC by his widow. The urn is kept at the MCC museum to this day, having being taken to Australia only twice in 1998 and 2006.
Because of Australia’s constant demand to possess the original Ashes and MCC’s inability to give it to them owing to its fragile condition, it was decided in 1998 to create a replica of the original urn and present it to the winner after every series.
Australia are the current holders of the Ashes, having thrashed England 5-0 at home in 2006-07. England came into the series as the defending champions after their inspired show a couple of years back, but were shown their place by the Aussies with convincing victories in all five the Tests. Australia won the first game by a massive 277 runs and thrashed the tourists by 6 wickets in the second.
The third game was no different as the hosts claimed victory by 206 runs. The fourth Test, which was an absolute debacle for England, saw them go down by an innings and 99 runs. Australia romped home with 10 wickets in the fifth game to round off a disastrous Ashes campaign for the English.
England and Australia have so far played 316 Tests, with the team from Down Under leading with 131 wins to England’s 97 victories. 88 Tests have ended in a draw.
