If there is a greatest rivalry in test cricket that is none other than THE ASHES. ASHES series is the most interesting and very celebrated international test cricket and that is played between AUSTRALIA and ENGLAND and dates back to 1882.First Ashes was playedbetween AUSTRALIA and ENGLAND in 1882 and it is still on from 1882 to present time.

Details of Ashes Series ?

A series of "The Ashes" comprises five Test matches, two innings per match, under the regular rules for international Test-match cricket. If a series is drawn then the country already holding the Ashes retains them. England is currently holds The Ashes, after beating AUSTRALIA 2–1 (England beat Australia in 2009 to regain Ashes).

History of Ashes Test Series  and Why it Called  as Ashes Test Series ?

The series has been so named after a satirical obituary was published in 1882 in British newspaper The Sporting Times. It was written after The Oval Match when England was beaten for the first time on English soil. The obituary stated that cricket had died and after cremation the ashes will be taken to Australia. The next English tour to Australia (1882-1883) was the quest to try and regain back the Ashes.

During the tour to Australia England led by Ivo Bligh regained “THE ASHES”. The three-match series resulted in a 2–1 win to England. A small terracotta urn was presented to England captain by a group of Melbourne women. Some believed the urn is to be the trophy of the Ashes series, Bligh always considered it to be a personal gift as it has never been formally adopted as such. The urn remains in The Marylebone Cricket Club Museum at LORD’S.Replicas of the urn are held aloft by victorious teams as a symbol of their victory in an Ashes series, but the actual urn has never been presented or displayed as a trophy in this way. Since the 1998–99 Ashes series, aWaterford Crystal representation of the Ashes urn has been presented to the winners of an Ashes series as the official trophy of that series.

In the 20 years of Bligh’s campaign the term "The Ashes" disappeared from public as the name was not accepted the series, at least not in England. The true and global revitalization of interest in the concept dates from 1903, when Pelham Warner took a team to Australia with the promise that he would regain "The Ashes". The books published by then cricketers of both teams and the way that made cricket popular revived the public interest and consequently resulted in making the series most famous and accepted test series of all time.

Sixty-four series have been played, with Australia winning 31 and England 28. The remaining five series were drawn, with Australia retaining the Ashes four times in

• 1938
• 1962–63
• 1965–66
• 1968

and England retaining it only once in 1972.

Changes in No of Matches

Ashes series have generally been played over five Test matches, although there have been four-match series (1938; 1975) and six-match series (1970–71; 1974–75; 1978–79; 1981; 1985; 1989; 1993 and 1997).

Cricket Statstic

• Australians have made 264 centuries in Ashes Tests, 23 of them over 200.
• Englishmen have scored 212 centuries, of which ten have been over 200.
• On 41 occasions Australians have taken ten wickets in a match, Englishmen 38 times.

1. DONALD BRADMAN is the highest run scorer in the Ashes. He scored 5028 runs in the Ashes series.
2. SHANE WARNE is the most wickets taker in the Ashes history. He took 195 wickets in the Ashes.
3. Highest partnership in Ashes is 451 runs between Australian’sPONSFORD and BRADMAN for 2nd wicket at the OVAL in 1934.
4. Highest Total of the inning is 903-7(DEC.) from ENGLAND at the OVAL in 1938 
5. Lowest inning of the Ashes is 42 runs which is also fromAUSTRALIA in 1887.In Ashes
6. AUSTRALIA’s IAN HEALY take most catch in Ashes History he took 79 catch in Ashes.