Why England vs Australia series called 'The Ashes'?
The Ashes series was started in 1882 when the Australian team won the first test by 7 runs on the England soil. This defeat was published as a satirical obituary by the journalist Shirley Brooks in 'The Sporting Times'. The obituary stated that the England cricket was dead, the body would be cremated and the ashes would be taken to Australia.
When the England team went to Australia the same year and won the series 2-1, the victory was described as bringing the Ash (ash) back to England. From here the test series between the two countries came to be called the Ashes series. The 'ashes urn' made of terracotta is known to contain the ashes of a burnt cricket ball. It's around 15cm or 6 inches tall in size. The winning team keeps the urn as a symbol of winning trophy.
