The Cricket World Cup may have come to an end, but that is not the end of the top cricketing action this summer in the UK. While eight of the teams will now be heading back home, or to a new destination for another series of games, Australia and England will remain in Blighty to contest the not-so-small matter of who will win the 2019 Ashes Series.
The Australian team are the current holders of the smallest trophy in the world of sport after they were comprehensive winners over England in the last series of games in Australia a couple of years ago. Since then, both teams fortunes in the test arena have waxed and waned and it all sets up an intriguing second half of the summer, with five test matches planned across the UK to decide who emerges victorious.
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Let’s now take a quick look back at the Ashes series and preview the action taking place across the latter summer months in the UK.
History of the Ashes
The Ashes were named after a famous newspaper report in The Sporting Times which reported the ‘death of English cricket” when the English team were beaten in one test by an Australian team back in 1882. At the time, the paper reported that the “Ashes” would be taken back to Australia by the victorious team.
For the following series, England’s captain kept up the tradition stating he was going to Australia to win back “the Ashes” and so the series between England and Australia took on the name, eventually leading to an urn being used to collect the ashes of either a wicket or a ball to act as a trophy for the series. The very urn is kept at Lords for safe keeping with a replica awarded to the winning team, although nowadays there is also a larger trophy, the Ashes Trophy, also awarded to the winners.
Over the years both teams have enjoyed periods of dominance in the event. England won eight Ashes series back to back when it first started, but Australia also landed eight wins in a row from the 1989 series in England, through to the 2002/03 series in Australia. There was also a period between 1962/63 and 1972 when four of the six series contested between the teams ended in a drawn series.
In terms of Ashes series, it is very even between the teams. Australia have won one more, 33 series to England’s 32, with a total of five drawn. However, in terms of test matches win in total, Australia hold a commanding lead winning 134 tests in total, compared to 106 for England, with 90 test matches drawn.
Somewhat oddly, Ashes Test Matches are far more likely to be drawn in England than in Australia. Down Under, just 25 of the 167 Test Matches played have finished as a draw, Australia winning 86 and England 56. However, in the UK, the draw is the most common Test Match outcome with 65 of the 163 matches ending in draws, England winning 50 Tests on home soil and the Aussies 48.
Australian’s also hold the record for runs scored and wickets taken in the Ashes with Don Bradman having scored the most runs in games between the teams with 5028, while legendary spin bowler Shane Warne tops the charts when it comes to wickets with 195 taken in Ashes Series over the years.
England have never whitewashed Australia in the Ashes, the nearest they come being a 5-1 win in Australia back in the 1978/79 series. Australia have whitewashed England three times all on home soil, winning 5-0 in 1920/21, 2006/07 and 2013/14.
The Australians were also commanding winners in the last series, winning all of the first three tests, before the fourth was drawn and then the Australians picked up another big win in the fifth and final test for a 4-0 victory.
Here’s how things are looking for the summer.
Ashes 2019
Five test matches are scheduled for the Ashes this summer and they will be played at the following venues and at the following times.
- First Test – 1st – 5th August 2019 – Edgbaston, Birmingham
- Second Test – 14th – 18th August 2019 – Lord’s, London
- Third Test – 22nd – 26th August 2019 – Headingley, Leeds
- Fourth Test – 4th-8th September 2019 – Old Trafford, Manchester
- Fifth Test – 12th – 16th September 2019 – The Oval, London
England
The England test side has had a fair few critics in recent times and after their humiliation in Australia last time out, Joe Root will know that his team need to improve a great deal for this series. England have real strength batting but they will need a better showing from their bowlers who really struggled to take wickets in Australia the last time the two teams met. Twice the Australians racked up well over 600 runs in a single innings and that cannot be allowed to happen here.
England need their batsmen to be strong in the face of stern Australian pressure and for their bowler to grab key wickets at key times if they are to stand any chance of extending their sequence of Ashes wins on home soil, that stretches back to 2005.
Australia
The grit and determination shown by Australian teams will be much needed in England as they seek to earn their first Ashes win in the UK since 2001. On paper, the Australians have the quality to do it. They are a more consistent test team than England and they tend to have players who play better under pressure than England have in the past, although England fans will certainly want to test that Aussie resolve over the summer.
If Australia have a weakness then it seems to be with their bowling attack but with England’s batting also fragile, it looks likely that whoever wins that battle, will likely be the team celebrating the Ashes victory come September.
Our Tip – This could be really close but we just feel this is Australia’s chance to shine.
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