England and Australia begin their latest clash for the Ashes at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge ground today. lets look back at the key dates in more than a hundred years of Ashes history:
1882: Concept of Ashes accidentally born when, after England suffer their first home loss to Australia at The Oval, the Sporting Times publishes a mock obituary which says the body of English cricket “will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”.
1920/21: Australia record the first Ashes whitewash, winning 5-0 as fast bowler Jack Gregory runs through England’s batting.
1930: Australia’s Don Bradman, cricket’s greatest batsman, scores 974 runs — still a world record for any Test series — including four hundreds with a best of 334 at leeds as the tourists win the Ashes campaign 2-1.
1932/33: England’s ‘Bodyline’ tour of Australia sees skipper Douglas Jardine instruct fast bowlers Harold larwood and Bill Voce to bowl at the batsmen’s bodies to a packed legside field in a bid to curb Bradman’s phenomenal run-scoring. England win 4-1 but even now, 80 years on, the series remains arguably the most controversial in cricket history.
1948: Bradman leads his ‘Invincibles’ on an unbeaten tour of England but, in his final innings and needing just four for a career Test average of 100, he was bowled for a second-ball duck by England leg-spinner Eric Hollies. Bradman had to settle for an average of 99.94 — a mark no one else has come near.
1956: Off-spinner Jim laker carves himself a place in cricket history by taking 19 out of a possible 20 Australian wickets during England’s victory at Old Trafford. laker’s 19 for 90 remains a world record Test haul.
1972: Bob Massie enjoys the most stunning Ashes debut of any bowler when, in his very first Test match, the Western Australia swing specialist takes 16 for 137 at lord’s.
1981: Ian Botham turns the course of this year’s Ashes series on its head with a succession of brilliant performances after resigning the England captaincy with the hosts 1-0 down after two Tests. In the third Test at Headingley, England, following on, are all but beaten at 135 for seven when Botham launches a stunning counter-attack in making 149 not out to lay the foundations for an astonishing win.
1989: Australia regain the Ashes 4-0, the first of eight successive series wins over England.
1993: Shane Warne marks his entrance into Ashes cricket with the “ball of the century” when his first delivery of the Old Traford Test pitches outside Mike Gatting’s leg-stump and then spins viciously to clip the top of the off bail. leg-spinner Warne goes on to become one of cricket’s greatest bowlers.
2005: England regain the Ashes in a thrilling series that sees them win by just two runs at Edgbaston before Kevin Pietersen’s brilliant 158 at The Oval seals the return of the urn.
2006/07: Warne and fellow Australia great Glenn McGrath bow out in style as Australia thrash England 5-0 for only the second whitewash in Ashes history.
2010/11: England win an Ashes series in Australia for the first time in 24 years, triumphing 3-1 as opening batsman Alastair Cook scores 766 runs at an an average of 127.66.