Aus vs eng

England and Australia will renew their storied rivalry on Friday in the first Test of the latest Ashes series at Edgbaston. But what exactly are the Ashes and why does the contest inspire such passion between two otherwise friendly countries on opposite sides of the world? AFP Sport explains the history behind one of sport's oldest and most intense contests. The facts The "Ashes" is the name given to the series of Test matches played between England and Australia, generally every two years. Test matches each last a maximum of five days, with the overall winner of the series presented with a replica of the historic Ashes urn. Australia are the current holders after winning the 2021/22 edition on home soil. The upcoming series is the first Ashes contest to be staged in England since the 2019 series ended in a 2-2 draw. England's last series victory came in 2015. 'The body will be cremated' The use of the term "Ashes" dates from England's first home defeat against Australia at The Oval in London in 1882. Following Australia's victory, Sporting Times journalist Reginald Shirley Brooks printed a mock obituary of English cricket, saying: "The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia". A few weeks later, England set off to tour Australia and, after a "social" match near Melbourne on Christmas Eve 1882, English captain Ivo Bligh was given a small terracotta urn as a symbol of the "Ashes" he had sworn to win back. Standing at little more than 10 centimetres (four inch...

Toggle between the tabs above to switch between quick scorecard, full scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary Day 1 report: Rain and bad light forced play to be abandoned on day one of the first Test between Australia and England at the Gabba on Wednesday. After England were bowled out for 147 on the stroke of the tea interval, heavy rain began to fall. Australian captain Pat Cummins (L) and England captain Joe Root (R) pose with the Ashes trophy at the Gabba cricket ground ahead of the first Ashes cricket test in Brisbane. AP Play will begin 30 minutes early on Thursday at 9:30 am (2330 GMT Thursday). Earlier, Australia made an incredible start with Mitchell Starc bowling Rory Burns with the first ball of the series.