This summer brings the return of The Ashes, cricket’s biggest rivalry, with the Australian men’s team looking to retain the urn on English soil.
The Ashes is played on a bi-annual basis with England and Australia taking turns to host during their respective summers.
The series got its name after Australia beat England at The Oval in 1882, their first-ever victory in England. A satirical obituary was then published in the Sporting Times, stating that English cricket had died, with its body to be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.
England captain of the time, Ivo Bligh, promised that on England’s tour of Australia in 1882-83 they would recover these ‘ashes’. The series between the two nations has been contested ever since.
England will be in a confident mood, having won 11 of their past 13 test matches, spurred on by an exciting, aggressive brand of cricket dubbed ‘Bazball’.
However, Australia are currently the number one ranked test team in the world and is coming off the back of their World Test Championship final win over India.
While Australia are the current holders of The Ashes, they have not won a series on English soil since 2001 so will be looking for victory and the coveted bragging rights over their ‘Pommie’ rivals.
The five-match test series is all set up to provide a fascinating spectacle, and if it is anything like the last Ashes series played in England, then we are in for an exciting summer.
The Women’s Ashes also gets underway this summer, with England looking to win back the urn from Australia, who have won the past four iterations.
The Women’s Ashes differ slightly from the men’s competition as it consists of different formats of cricket, including a test match, three Twenty20 matches, and three One Day Internationals. A points-based system will be used across all three formats to determine the winner.
Both the Men’s and Women’s Ashes will see matches played at Lord’s in Central London and The Oval in South London. If you are planning to watch any of these matches, then consider using our executive travel service to get you to and from the grounds.
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