Cricket is a very popular sport these days. But instead of regular cricket, people enjoy watching rivalry matches like ashes series. There’s a sense of revenge, which adds to the excitement of the game. There are two such rivalries in cricket that are very famous and always in the headlines:
- India vs. Pakistan
- England vs. Australia (Ashes series)
If you think the India vs. Pakistan rivalry is the biggest of these, you’re wrong. The story behind the foundation of the Ashes series between England and Australia began almost 150 years ago, on March 15, 1877.
Some questions about the Ashes series always remain in people’s minds like:-
- What is the story behind the Ashes series?
- Why is the Ashes Trophy very small? What is the reason behind the Ashes trophy?
- Who has won the Ashes the most?
“By reading this article you will get answers to all these questions.”
Story behind the Ashes Series :
As you know, England was a country that enslaved most of the world’s countries, including Australia. In fact, the British built numerous prisons in Australia, including Port Arthur, where prisoners were subjected to horrific torture. The British ruled Australia from 1788 to January 1, 1901 (113 years). That is, when this first Test match was played between England and Australia, Australia was officially a slave of England.
Therefore, after the Test match was announced, the anger of the Australian players and public towards the British was reflected in the game itself.
This Test series was played in Melbourne, Australia. At that time, England was the world’s best cricket team. But as people say that if you have courage and determination, nothing is impossible. And that’s exactly what happened when Australia won the match.
“By the way, if you too want this type of inspiration, determination and motivation in your life, this story from my life can teach you some valuable lessons:
This defeat was a shame for English cricket. To avenge this, they invited the Australian team to England and decided to stage a Test series. But this time it was a bit too much, as Australia had once again defeated England, on their own ground (the Oval).
This led to widespread criticism of the English cricket team. Amidst this criticism, a newspaper, “The Sports Times” published a condolence message, stating…
“English cricket died on 29 August 1882… RIP! The body will be cremated in England and the ashes will be sent to Australia!”
This news made headlines at that time.
Story of the design and foundation of the Ashes trophy :
“After this, England played several practice matches with the Australian team in Australia. One of these practice matches was played at Rutherford Street in Australia. One day, Florence Murphy, the babysitter of the ground owner, came to watch the match. After the match, she burned the stump bail and put the ashes in one of her empty perfume bottles. At a party that night, she gifted this bottle to England captain “Ivo Bally”, and taunted him, saying, “Go back to England and tell them we’ve brought the ashes back”. The captain accepted the gift without any anger.
But this time, England defeated Australia and won the series. After this, England captain “Ivo Bally” came to Australia. He was impressed by Florence Murphy‘s “unafraid way of saying things,” and he married Florence Murphy.
Since then, The Ashes trophy has been given this kind of form. A small perfume bottle filled with ashes. The team that wins the series is awarded the Ashes. The ashes trophy remains with that team until the next series. And as soon as another team wins, the trophy is transferred. If a match is drawn, the Ashes remain with the team that won the previous series.
Team that has won the Ashes the most times :
To date (20 Jan 2026), there have been 74 Ashes series between Australia and England, with Australia winning 35 and England winning 32, and seven ending in draws. (Acc. to Wikipedia )
The last Ashes series began on December 21, 2025, and was played in Australia. The first match was played at Perth Stadium in Australia. Australia won three of the first four matches. The final Test of the 2025-26 Ashes series was played from January 4 to January 8, 2026. Australia won this match by 5 wickets on 8 January 2026.
Thus, Australia has won the Ashes the most times.
“I hope you understand the full history behind the Ashes Trophy“. We all know that when personal animosity is added to the game, in addition to sportsmanship, the excitement becomes exponentially greater. As seen in World Cup matches between India and Pakistan. And this happens because people want to defeat them. People want to see them lose. This adds even more excitement to the game.
“I hope you have a good day, thank you!”