The Ashes 2021/22 is one of the most anticipated series of the cricketing calendar. This series features two teams, namely England and Australia. Many cricket fans would know that this is the oldest rivalry in the history of the sport. The England cricket team and the Australian cricket team played a Test series against each other once in almost every two years.
They host the series alternatively. For example, the 2019 Ashes series happened in England, and now the 2021/22 Ashes series will take place in Australia. Generally, the hosts have dominated the series. However, in the previous Ashes series, the England cricket team failed to regain the urn from the Aussies. Now Joe Root and his men have reached Australia to win the urn back for their countrymen.
Pat Cummins will captain the home side, and it promises to be one of the most closely-contested series of all time. But like every time, some fans would have a doubt in their minds, and that is why is the Australia vs England called The Ashes, and why do the two teams compete for the urn. In this article, we will explain the same.
The Ashes term originated because of the British media
Australia recorded its first-ever Test win on English soil in 1882 at The Oval. The Sporting Times mentioned that the England cricket had died, the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. And then, before the 1882-83 series in Australia, the then English skipper Ivo Bligh stated that he would regain the ashes. That’s how the quest of the ashes became popular.
After England registered a win in two of the three Tests, a group of women in Melbourne gifted a small urn to the England team. It is now known as The Ashes urn and is made of terracotta, which is approximately 10.5 centimeters tall. The urn, which is reputed to be made of burnt bails, remains in MCC Museum at Lord’s, but it has been taken to Australia twice. Thus, this is a small part of the history of the oldest cricketing rivaly.
