In cricket, the Ashes is a Test series played between England and Australia, with victory determined by winning more Test matches than the opponent over a predetermined number of games. The series typically consists of five Test matches, and the team that wins the majority of those matches wins the Ashes for that cycle. If the series is tied in wins, the team that currently holds the Ashes retains it.
The Ashes began in 1882 after England lost a Test match at The Oval in London, prompting a satirical newspaper article that joked about English cricket being "dead" and its ashes needing to be "cremated." The mock obituary sparked the tradition, and the following year, England toured Australia to "recover the Ashes." Since then, the series has been played approximately every two years, alternating between venues in England and Australia.
Each Ashes series is a best-of-five Test match format, meaning the first team to win three matches claims victory. The competition is one of sport's most storied rivalries and carries enormous cultural significance for both nations. The actual Ashes trophy is a small urn containing the remains of cricket equipment (not human ashes, despite the poetic name), which sits in the MCC Museum at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. The winning team's captain traditionally receives a replica of the urn to hold until the next series.