5 of the lowest points for England in the Ashes

#1 The Oval, 1882

The iconic urn

This was the match that gave the series its name, and is perhaps the lowest point for England in the history of the tournament.

In this one-off Test staged at The Oval in August 1882, England dismissed Australia for just 63 in the first innings. Many thought that the Test was all but over, but Australia's best fast bowler at the time, Fred Spofforth, had other ideas. He took seven wickets to dismiss England for 101 but Australia could not capitalise, and the hosts were eventually set a target of 85 runs to win the game.

Spofforth took seven wickets in the second innings as well to dismiss England for 77, and Australia won the Test match against all odds.

Following the defeat, The Sporting Times, a sports daily in England, stated that English cricket was dead, the body was to be cremated, and the ashes were to be taken to Australia.

These words stung, and England's quest to "reclaim the Ashes" commenced then.