Who has won the most Ashes series?

The traditional England-Australia rivalry resumed with the latest edition of the Ashes getting underway on Wednesday.

England won the toss and batted first on Day 1 of the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane. The move, however, backfired as they were bundled out for 147 in 50.1 overs.

Pat Cummins made an unforgettable start to his stint as Australia's Test captain, claiming 5 for 38. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood also impressed, claiming two wickets each.

For England, wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler top-scored with 39 while Ollie Pope contributed 35.

England skipper Joe Root was sent back for a duck by Hazlewood while Ben Stokes could contribute only 5 on his return to international cricket from a mental health break.

Australia’s innings couldn’t get underway due to persistent rain.

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England or Australia - Who has dominated the Ashes?

England celebrate a wicket during Ashes 2005. Pic: Getty Images

With the latest edition of the Ashes getting underway on Wednesday, we take a brief look at the history of the legendary rivalry.

The first Ashes series dates back to 1882 and the rivalry has been a close one. There have been 71 Ashes series' till date.

Australia hold a slight edge, having won 33 Ashes series’ while England have been victorious in 32. Six Ashes series' have ended in a draw.

In case of a drawn series, the urn is retained by the team which won the previous series. Hence, Australia kept the urn even though the 2019 Ashes ended with a 2-2 scoreline.

England dominated the Ashes in the initial years, winning 11 of the first 12 editions. Australia hit back by winning four series’ in a row from 1897-98 to 1902.

Both teams took turns to dominate the Ashes over the next few decades. However, by the end of the 1980s, Australia became a far more superior team.

The Aussies won eight Ashes editions in a row from 1989 to 2002-03. England recaptured the urn with a famous win under Michael Vaughan in 2005, in what is considered one of the greatest Ashes series ever played.

Before the Gabba encounter on Wednesday, Australia and England featured in 335 Ashes Tests. 167 of them were played in Australia of which the hosts won 86 and the visitors 56.

England have hosted 168 Ashes Tests so far. They have won 52 of those matches while Australia have been victorious in 50 games.