Ashes

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Last Updated: Jun 8, 2025 • Article History

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Ashes, symbol of victory in the usually biennial cricket Test (international) match series between select national teams of England and Australia, first staged in 1877. Its name stems from an epitaph published in 1882 after the Australian team had won its first victory over England in England, at the Oval, London. The epitaph lamented that English cricket was dead and that its body would be cremated and the ashes sent to Australia. The following year an urn containing the ashes of a wicket bail was presented to the captain of the touring English team in Australia. The urn is now kept at Lord’s Cricket Ground, headquarters of the Marylebone Cricket Club, long the foremost British club.

Ashes results are provided in the table.

Ashes
years	winners	losers	margin of victory (wins-losses-draws)
1882–83	England	Australia	2–1–0
1884	England	Australia	1–0–2
1884–85	England	Australia	3–2–0
1886	England	Australia	3–0–0
1886–87	England	Australia	2–0–0
1887–88	England	Australia	1–0–0
1888	England	Australia	2–1–0
1890	England	Australia	2–0–0
1891–92	Australia	England	2–1–0
1893	England	Australia	1–0–2
1894–95	England	Australia	3–2–0
1896	England	Australia	2–1–0
1897–98	Australia	England	4–1–0
1899	Australia	England	1–0–4
1901–02	Australia	England	4–1–0
1902	Australia	England	2–1–2
1903–04	England	Australia	3–2–0
1905	England	Australia	2–0–3
1907–08	Australia	England	4–1–0
1909	Australia	England	2–1–2
1911–12	England	Australia	4–1–0
1912	England	Australia	1–0–2
1920–21	Australia	England	5–0–0
1921	Australia	England	3–0–2
1924–25	Australia	England	4–1–0
1926	England	Australia	1–0–4
1928–29	England	Australia	4–1–0
1930	Australia	England	2–1–2
1932–33	England	Australia	4–1–0
1934	Australia	England	2–1–2
1936–37	Australia	England	3–2–0
1938	draw		1–1–2
1946–47	Australia	England	3–0–2
1948	Australia	England	4–0–1
1950–51	Australia	England	4–1–0
1953	England	Australia	1–0–4
1954–55	England	Australia	3–1–1
1956	England	Australia	2–1–2
1958–59	Australia	England	4–0–1
1961	Australia	England	2–1–2
1962–63	draw		1–1–3
1964	Australia	England	1–0–4
1965–66	draw		1–1–3
1968	draw		1–1–3
1970–71	England	Australia	2–0–4
1972	draw		2–2–1
1974–75	Australia	England	4–1–1
1975	Australia	England	1–0–3
1977	England	Australia	3–0–2
1978–79	England	Australia	5–1–0
1981	England	Australia	3–1–2
1982–83	Australia	England	2–1–2
1985	England	Australia	3–1–2
1986–87	England	Australia	2–1–2
1989	Australia	England	4–0–2
1990–91	Australia	England	3–0–2
1993	Australia	England	4–1–1
1994–95	Australia	England	3–1–1
1997	Australia	England	3–2–1
1998–99	Australia	England	3–1–1
2001	Australia	England	4–1–0
2002–03	Australia	England	4–1–0
2005	England	Australia	2–1–2
2006–07	Australia	England	5–0–0
2009	England	Australia	2–1–2
2010–11	England	Australia	3–1–1
2013	England	Australia	3–0–2
2013–14	Australia	England	5–0–0
2015	England	Australia	3–2–0
2017–18	Australia	England	4–0–1

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.