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England v. Australia - The Ashes 
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At international level, the most interesting competitions are the test matches between England and other test cricketing nations. When England play Australia in a test series it is known as the Ashes.
Results of the 1997 Ashes Series
| 1st Test, Edgbaston, Birmingham: England beat Australia by 9 wickets 2nd Test, Lords, London: The match ends in a draw 3rd Test, Old Trafford, Manchester: Australia beat England by 268 runs 4th Test, Headingley, Leeds: Australia beat England by an innings and 61 runs 5th Test, Trent Bridge, Nottingham: Australia beat England by 264 runs 6th Test, The Oval, London: England beat Australia by 19 runs Australia retain the Ashes by winning the series 3 - 2 |
Cricket has been played in England in some form for well over 200 years. The rules that govern the game were drawn up by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) of London around 1788, although the original rules have been revised and updated as necessary by national and international cricket boards.
The very first Test Match took place between Australia and England in 1877 at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia were the victors on that occasion. Since that time, more than 280 test matches have taken place between the two countries and venues have alternated between England and Australia. Australia has won over 100 matches, while England has won around 90. The rest have been drawn.
In 1882, England were beaten by Australia for the first time at home. Some cricket fans were so disappointed that shortly afterwards they placed an obituary notice in the Sporting Times. The notice said 'English cricket died at the Oval, 29th August 1882.' It went on to say that the body was to be cremated and the Ashes taken to Australia.
In the following year an urn containing 'The Ashes' was presented to the winning captain of the 1882-3 series between England and Australia. The ashes were those of a bail from the top of the stumps. These 'Ashes' are the trophy that England and Australia play for in their test series.
The urn is now kept permanently at Lords Cricket Ground in England irrespective of which team wins.
Test matches are played between the top cricketing nations - Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, the West Indies and England. Each test match lasts up to five days (or less if the match is won earlier) and is usually played as part of a series. The number of test matches played in a series is determined by the governing cricketing bodies of each country. In the Ashes series between England and Australia, the teams play five or six 5-day test matches.
In a test match each team of eleven players has two innings - that is two chances to bat and score runs. A team's innings ends when 10 of 11 batsmen are out, or when the captain of the batting team chooses to declare the innings finished because he feels the team have a sufficient number of runs to ensure victory.
Play usually starts at around 11am each day and finishes around 6pm. There is a short interval for lunch.
In a test series the matches are played at various grounds around the country. These must be approved 'test match' grounds. In England the test matches are currently played at Lords, Old Trafford, Trent Bridge, Edgbaston, Headingley or The Oval. Trophies are awarded to the winning side at the end of the series.
Since 1968, the tests have been organised by the Test and County Cricket Board. This board merged with other national boards to form the English Cricket Board for England and Wales (ECB) at the end of the 1996 season.
Contacts
Lords Cricket Ground
St. John's Wood
London
Tel. 0171 289 8979
Old Trafford Cricket Ground
Manchester
Tel. 0161 282 4040
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Birmingham
Tel. 0121 446 5506
Headingley Cricket Ground
Leeds
Tel. 0113 2787394
Trent Bridge Cricket Ground
Nottingham
Tel. 0115 9817005
The Oval Cricket Ground
Kennington
London
Tel. 0171 582 7764
The English Cricket Board
Lords Cricket Ground
St Johns Wood
London NW8 8QZ
Tel. 0171 432 1200
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