Men's Ashes 2025-26

The beginning: 1882 to 1912

22 series played

 

England won 15, Australia 7 

Although Test cricket began five years earlier at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when Australia defeated England by 45 runs, the 'Ashes' as we know it didn't officially begin until 1882. A supposedly weak Australian team toured England that year but Billy Murdoch's Aussies pulled off one of the great upsets at The Oval in South London. The seven-run win, off the back of Fred Spofforth's match figures of 14-90, garnered much media attention, with the Sporting Times' famous satirical funeral notice proclaiming the death of English cricket, with the body to "be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia". 

What followed was a period of domination for England, who claimed the first 'Ashes series' just a few months later, winning 2-1 Down Under. It was the first of eight straight series wins for England with the formidable WG Grace leading the way for his side. 

At the turn of the century however, Australia would start to win thanks to the arrival of fine batters like Clem Hill, Victor Trumper and Syd Gregory, and the bowling exploits of Hugh Trumble and Monty Noble. However, the Ashes would take an unscheduled hiatus after the 1912 series due to the onset of the Great War, which claimed the lives of several Ashes cricketers including Australia's Trumper and Tibby Cotter and England's Colin Blythe.  

The Bradman Era: 1920-21 to 1950-51

13 series played

 

Australia won 9, England 3, one draw (Aus retained)

Given it had been eight years since the most recent clash, a new Ashes era had begun in 1920-21 and Australia started it in commanding fashion. Led by the 41-year-old, 130kg Warwick 'Big Ship' Armstrong, Australia dominated with five emphatic victories to record the contest's first ever clean sweep. The Australians won 12 Tests to England's one in the three series following the war but that run was ended following the unearthing of some English batting greats in Jack Hobbs, Herbert Sutcliffe and Wally Hammond. The 1928-29 series is still England's largest series win to date, a 4-1 win away from home. But even more poignant proved to be the arrival of Donald Bradman, who debuted in - and then was dropped after - the 675-run loss in Brisbane. But of course, that was just the start for Bradman who would singlehandedly win Australia the 1930 Ashes series (2-1), breaking all sorts of records with his triple hundred in Leeds and a massive 974 runs for the series. 

Such was Bradman's success, the English resorted to unorthodox tactics in order to quell his influence and in 1932-33 the infamous 'Bodyline' series was played out. New English skipper Douglas Jardine instructed his quicks, principally strike bowlers Harold Larwood and Bill Voce, to bowl 'leg theory'; short-pitched, hostile deliveries aimed at the batter with a clan of fielders waiting eagerly on the leg side. After some dramatic injuries, the Australian Board of Control sent a telegraphed complaint to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) that saw threats of ending the tour early and almost resulted in a diplomatic incident between the nations, but ultimately England's plan had worked. They walked away 4-1 winners and were greeted with a heroes' welcome at home in the United Kingdom. But a line in the sand had been drawn with the rivalry never to be the same again. 

In the 1934 series, normal service resumed as Jardine stood down as captain and, with the Bodyline out of favour after the English had been on the receiving end from the West Indies in the intervening season, fast men Jardine and Voce never had the same influence. Bradman continued to pile up the runs as Australia won the next three series, while Aussie spinners Clarrie Grimmett and Bill O'Reilly were a consistent nemesis to the English. 

World War II halted the Ashes once again, casting doubt on the future on future of Bradman's career when he was seemingly in his prime. However Aussie fans need not have worried with the legend playing on, and as captain he would lead a side dubbed 'The Invincibles', given their star power and unprecedented winning run. Australia won 3-0 in 1946-47, 4-0 in 1948 and lastly 4-1 in 1950-51, even after Bradman had finally retired at the ripe age of 40 with the legendary average of 99.97. 

The Post-War Era: 1953 to 1986-87

19 series played

 

Australia won 6, England 9, four draws (Australia retained 3, England 1) 

England regained the rivalry's upper hand in the mid-1950s with three series wins a row, which included the 1956 series dominated by off-spinner Jim Laker. Australia's early series lead evaporated as Laker inspired two innings victories in a row including his miracle in Manchester, where he took the world record match figures of 19-90 including all 10 in the second innings. 

Allrounder Richie Benaud was a surprise pick as captain ahead of the home series in 1958-59 but led his country with aplomb, regaining the Ashes 4-0 despite his opponents initially being considered one of the best touring sides to visit Aussie shores. It was the beginning of a decade-long grip on the urn, as Australia maintained the Ashes for the entire 1960s. In 1961, Benaud produced his own Manchester magic with a match-winning spell of 6-70 in the decisive fourth Test. 

Interestingly, after only two drawn series in the first 40 competed, three of the next four would fail to produce an outright winner as conditions became more favourable for batting and wins were hard to come by. England's John Edrich and Ken Barrington were among those who cashed in on the helpful surfaces, as were Australians Bill Lawry and Bob Simpson. 

As the Ashes hit the 1970s, change was happening. Australia captain Bill Lawry was dropped at the end of the 1970-71 series as England regained the urn for the first time in 12 years. Paceman John Snow played a key role for England, taking 31 wickets for the series and almost coming to blows with several spectators at the SCG after cracking Terry Jenner's head with a bouncer in the final Test. 

Australia recovered in the mid 1970s thanks to the Chappell brothers, Ian and Greg, and their pace duo of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson. Bob Massie took 16-137 on Test debut at Lord's in 1972 but was unable to match the sustained success of his fast bowling colleagues. 

Following the centenary celebrations in March, the Ashes were back up for grabs by June but on the field it wasn't much of a contest. The Australian side had been destabilised as some players had been signed by Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket for generous sums of money while others had not. An Australian team missing the injured Dennis Lillee lost 3-0 and things only got worse for the return series in 1978-79, when Australia's Test team was decimated by the unavailability of those WSC-signed players. Missing Ian and Greg Chappell, David Hookes, Rod Marsh, Jeff Thomson and Lillee to name a few, Australia lost 5-1. 

England would return to Australia the very next summer for three Tests, but much to the Australians dismay the Ashes weren't on the line, with the unusual season's scheduling also including three Tests against the West Indies and several ODIs. 

The 1981 series is best remembered as 'Botham's Ashes', with enigmatic England allrounder Ian Botham dominating with bat and ball to inspire his country to a come-from-behind 3-1 win. The Headingley Test was perhaps Botham's finest hour, scoring a century and taking a five-wicket haul as England won despite being asked to follow on, Bob Willis (8-43) running through a shocked Aussie outfit on the final day. 

Centenary Test: 1977

Australia won by 45 runs

In March 1977, Australia and England played a one-off centenary Test match celebrating a century of Test cricket, rather than a century of the Ashes rivalry. Hence, the Ashes were not up for grabs in this contest which was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, just as it was in 1877. 

Australia, sent in to bat, were bowled out for 138 in 43.6 eight-ball overs on an overcast, soggy Melbourne day. Only captain Greg Chappell (40 from 139 balls) and wicketkeeper Rod Marsh (28 from 56) looked likely, but conditions were tailor-made for bowling. The day had started in horrendous fashion as opener Rick McCosker was dismissed after a sharp Bob Willis bouncer broke his jaw and the ball ricocheted onto the stumps. McCosker spent the next day and a half getting his jaw wired in hospital.  

Although the English went to stumps with the loss of just one wicket, day two saw a fast-bowling masterclass from Dennis Lillee (6-26) and Max Walker (4-54) as England collapsed from 1-30 to 95 all out. 

Conditions for batting gradually improved: Ian Davis (68), Doug Walters (66) and debutant David Hookes (56) all hit half-centuries as Australia's lead grew. With Marsh nearing his century at the end of the third day, the Aussie wicketkeeper was running out of batting partners.

In a move now synonymous with the match, McCosker appeared from the changerooms with Australia eight wickets down and bravely batted on from the other end. Marsh got his century and England were set 463 runs to win, and when they had moved to 4-346, a massive chase looked entirely likely. Leg-spinner Kerry O'Keeffe ended Derek Randall's stunning innings on 174, and claimed English captain Tony Greig a few overs later. From there, the lion-hearted Lillee returned to the attack and finished off the tail, taking 5-139 in the second innings, match figures of 11-165.

Australia won a classic by 45 runs, coincidentally the exact margin and result of the two sides exactly 100 years earlier. 

Australia's golden run: 1989 to 2006-07

10 series played

 

Australia won 9, England 1

Australia lost more than they won in the mid-1980s but that was about to change with the 1989 and the appointment of Allan Border as captain. It also marked the arrival of future captains Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh on the international stage and the beginning of a period of sustained dominance for the Aussies. 

Between 1989 and 2003 Australia won eight Ashes series in a row, collectively winning 28 Tests to England's seven, although their 2001 series win in England would prove to be their last outright result for a generation. 

Shane Warne made an immediate mark on the contest with his famous 'Gatting Ball' in 1993 and he would torment the English for years to come. Through the 1990s Australia found match-winners in every role to replace their retiring stars; Michael Slater, Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Matthew Elliott with the bat, Adam Gilchrist with the gloves, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Stuart MacGill with the ball. 

Many consider the 2005 Ashes series the greatest ever played between the two nations and England's drought-breaking victory breathed new life into the rivalry. Shane Warne took his brilliance to another level with 40 wickets in five Tests while Andrew Flintoff stood up at big moments to produce match-winning moments.

The next series in 2006-07 proved the swansong for legends Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer, as Ricky Ponting's side made amends for their Ashes blip with a commanding 5-0 series whitewash, just the second in the competition's long history.

Modern day: 2009 to present

9 series played

 

England won 4, Australia won 3, two draws (Aus retained)

England would hit right back after their humiliating whitewash with the emergence of opener Alastair Cook and pacemen James Anderson and Stuart Broad pivotal to a run of three-straight series wins, including a first Down Under in 25 years when they smashed Australia 3-1 in 2010-11.

The sides played out back-to-back series in 2013 with the Australian-hosted leg brought forward a year due to the ODI World Cup scheduled for the end of the 2014-15 summer. The contrasting results were striking: England won 3-0 at home and less than five months later, Australia won 5-0 at home. Mitchell Johnson's 37-wicket series in the latter will be remembered as some of the most fearsome fast bowling in Ashes history. 

Australia have been in charge of the Ashes urn since their 4-0 win in 2017-18, with two drawn series away from home either side of a 4-0 win in 2021-22 ensuring they retained the tiny trophy. The 2023 series was an epic in its own right, with a 2-2 draw a fair result after five Tests where both sides dominated at times and neither side deserved to lose.

List of results