What are the Cricket Ashes?

By DanielDB, 30th Dec 2010 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/1h4ii1ef/
Posted in Wikinut>News>Sport

With the recent emphatic win of England over Australia in the Ashes Series this article tries to shed some light on the history of the Ashes.

Battle for the Ashes

December and January of each year is not only known for its festive season and holiday atmosphere. In the southern hemisphere it is also summertime and summer time means cricket time.

Currently South Africa is engaged in a test series with India. In New Zeeland they are playing Pakistan and in Australia it is the battle of the Ashes against England.

It is especially the test series in Australia that hyped up the attention of cricket fans world-wide. On 28 December 2010 England retained the Ashes by thoroughly beating Australia in the 4th test with an innings and 157 runs. This was England’s biggest win over Australia since 1956. Australia can still level the series if they can win next week's fifth Sydney Test, but the Ashes are gone.

But what are these Ashes precisely?

It is actually all about a legend or myth that was created. In 1882 Australia won a once-off test against England at the Oval in London. The newspaper, The Sporting Times was so upset with England’s performance that it ran a mock obituary lamenting the death of England cricket and it even mentioned that “the body will be cremated and the ashes be taken to Australia”.

Everybody caught on with the joke and in the same year (1882) Ivo Bligh led an English cricket team to Australia. After the 3rd match of this series a woman got hold of one of the stumps used and burned it.

The ashes of this stump were presented in an urn to the English captain, Ivo Bligh as a good gesture. The ashes with the urn were taken to England and it was only in 1927 when Ivo Bligh passed on that the urn was bequeathed to the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club).

After the historic match on Wednesday (28 December) the English captain Andrew Strauss commented: "Winning the Ashes in Australia has always been a bit of a Holy Grail for English sides”.

In South Africa there is a slogan; “I don’t like cricket; I love it”!

Meet the author

DanielDB
I was born in 1954. After finishing high School I obtained a Bachelor’s degree with history and International Politics as majors.

After graduation I joined the Public Service and served for more than