thumb|[[The Ashes urn, which remains at the MCC Museum at Lord's. A replica urn is presented to the winning captain.|alt=A terracotta urn with two brass plaques on it sits on a wooden base. The urn is on display, with the glass surround and other exhibits visible in the background.]]
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The series have varied in length, consisting of between one and seven Test matches, but since 1998 have been consistently five matches. It is the sport's most celebrated rivalry and dates back to 1882. It is generally played biennially, alternating between the United Kingdom and Australia. Australia are the current holders of the Ashes, having either won or drawn each series between 2017–18 and 2025–26.
History
Although the first Test series played between England and Australia was in the 1876–77 season, the Ashes originated from the solitary Test which the two nations contested in 1882. England lost the match, played at The Oval, and a mock obituary was posted in The Sporting Times, declaring the death of English cricket. It stated that: "The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia." Ivo Bligh adopted the term and, as captain of the English party that travelled to Australia the following winter, promised to bring the "Ashes" home. England won the series, but the tactic prompted changes to the laws of cricket, regained the Ashes during the next series and then held them for six series, spanning nineteen years. In addition to winning the five match Test series 4–0, Australia won or drew all of its 29 other matches against county and representative sides.
Since 1882, only one series has been played between the two sides that was not deemed an Ashes series, that being the three Test series in the Australian summer of 1979–80, won by Australia 3–0. This was the first Australian home Test series with a unified team after two summers of World Series Cricket and was not deemed an Ashes series as England had retained the Ashes 5–1 on Australian soil 12 months earlier. On three other occasions, a one-off commemorative Test match was played in which the Ashes were not at stake, which were the 1977 Melbourne Centenary Test, the 1980 Lords Centenary Test and the 1988 Bicentennial Test played at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 1988.
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| align=center | 2
| 1884
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| align=center | 3
| align=center | 0
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 2
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| align=center |
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| align=center | 3
| 1884–85
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| align=center | 5
| align=center | 2
| align=center | 3
| align=center | 0
| colspan=2 bgcolor="#99ccff" |
| align=center |
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| align=center | 4
| 1886
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| align=center | 3
| align=center | 0
| align=center | 3
| align=center | 0
| colspan=2 bgcolor="#99ccff" |
| align=center |
|-
| align=center | 5
| 1886–87
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| align=center | 2
| align=center | 0
| align=center | 2
| align=center | 0
| colspan=2 bgcolor="#99ccff" |
| align=center |
|-
| align=center | 6
| 1887–88
|
|
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 0
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 0
| colspan=2 bgcolor="#99ccff" |
| align=center |
|-
| align=center | 7
| 1888
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| align=center | 3
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 2
| align=center | 0
| colspan=2 bgcolor="#99ccff" |
| align=center |
|-
| align=center | 8
| 1890
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| align=center | 2 (3)
| align=center | 0
| align=center | 2
| align=center | 0
| colspan=2 bgcolor="#99ccff" |
| align=center |
|-
| align=center | 9
| 1891–92
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| align=center | 3
| align=center | 2
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 0
| colspan=2 bgcolor="#fdea60"|
| align=center |
|-
| align=center | 10
| 1893
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|
| align=center | 3
| align=center | 0
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 2
| colspan=2 bgcolor="#99ccff" |
| align=center |
|-
| align=center | 11
| 1894–95
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| align=center | 5
| align=center | 2
| align=center | 3
| align=center | 0
| colspan=2 bgcolor="#99ccff" |
| align=center |
|-
| align=center | 12
| 1896
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| align=center | 3
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 2
| align=center | 0
| colspan=2 bgcolor="#99ccff" |
| align=center |
|-
| align=center | 13
| 1897–98
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| align=center | 5
| align=center | 4
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 0
| colspan=2 bgcolor="#fdea60"|
| align=center |
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| align=center | 14
| 1899
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| align=center | 5
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 0
| align=center | 4
| colspan=2 bgcolor="#fdea60"|
| align=center |
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| align=center | 15
| 1901–02
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