The rise of the Ashes

“In Affectionate Remembrance of English cricket, which died at the Oval on 29th August 1882, Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances /R.I.P. / N.B. – The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.”

The Sporting Times, September 1882

The above mock obituary, published in the September of 1882, sums up the climax of one of the most recalled Test matches in cricket –that which started the greatest rivalry in the longest format of the game – The Ashes. The journalist, Reginald Shirley Brooks, was inspired by Australia’s first win on English soil.

August 29 down the years has lived on, with the battle between Australia and England raging on for over 133 years now. The prize? An urn which is perhaps crickets tiniest yet the biggest trophy. Let us trace the birth of the Ashes, and its present-day dominance.

Background of the Test which gave us the Ashes

Australia toured England in 1882 to play their ninth Test against the Englishmen, which was also the only game of the tour, held at the Oval in London. The wicket looked difficult, the scores were thus mediocre.

Australia scored only 63 runs in their first innings, and their arch-rivals, captained by AN Hornby, responded with a total of 101, leading by 38 runs. In their second innings, Australia scored 122, courtesy a great knock of 55 off 60 from Hugh Massie.

The Englishmen needed only 85 runs in their last innings to seal the deal, but what followed was one of the biggest collapses in cricket. During the last innings, Dr. WG Grace, a legend of English cricket, had controversially run out Australia’s Sam Jones when the latter had clearly no intention of completing a run.

The unscrupulous wicket naturally enraged the Australians, particularly their bowling champion Fred Spofforth. Before starting the game for the final innings, the Aussies were assured by Spofforth that they could pull off a win. After the first few hours of the last innings, England were still the favorites.

They now needed only 34 to win with seven wickets remaining and Grace at the crease. But when Grace’s wicket fell dramatically, one of the most shocking team disintegrations in cricket was chronicled. In no time, England sent its last batsman to the crease when it needed only ten more runs to win, but a brilliant delivery from Harry Boyle sent back the batsman for only two runs.

The crowd at Oval went silent in disbelief of England losing to its colony. It was a matter of huge shame.

A few weeks after the loss, the demoralized English team, captained by Hon Ivo Bligh toured Australia with the objective of getting the “Ashes” back. The first Test was won by Australia, but England won the following two and successfully retrieved the Ashes.

The tiniest cricket trophy

Discerning the desire of the two rivals to compete for an actual trophy, the MCC in the 1990s commissioned an official urn-shaped Crystal trophy. It is now one of the most coveted sports trophies belonging to the oldest international sporting competition in the world.

The trophy was first presented to Mark Taylor after Australia emerged victorious in the 1998-99 Test series against England. Ever since, this crystal award has been presented to the winning captain of the Test series between the two nations.

Whichever side holds the trophy, the urn remains in the confines of Marylebone Cricket Club Museum at Lord's. From October 2006 to January 2007, the distinct looking trophy was the centerpiece at the MCC Travelex Ashes Exhibition, which attracted over 10,000 visitors from across the country.

Has the coveted trophy lost its sheen?

While some people may argue that modern cricket has largely diminished the sheen of the Ashes, it still remains one of the most popular old-age rivalries. And that is clearly evident from the anticipation in the media during the buildup to the series, the intense rivalry and records in each of the Ashes, and the extensive fan-base which is not just limited to the boundaries of England and Australia.

It may be supplanted by other matches in terms of the viewer population, and possibly there are greater rivalries in the sport at this time, the India-Pakistan friction one among them, but none can match the exclusive history of the Ashes.

Fans have many “Ashes-Moments” which bear testimony to the fact that the charm of Test Cricket is still intact. From Kevin Peterson’s grand arrival to international cricket on the 5th Test at the Oval to Paul Collingwood’s extraordinary heroics at Cardiff in 2011, the Ashes has always produced quality cricket with twists and turns that make it interesting.

Even the T20 aficionados seem to love this series and the sight of a full-house at the venues of the series signifies the unblemished journey of “cricket’s undisputed rivalry”