One of cricket's most illustrious and hotly contested rivalries is the Ashes series, played between England and Australia. Let's look into the Ashes' past and some of the shocking incidents that occurred throughout that time. The Beginning of the Ashes A humorous obituary that appeared in The Sporting Times, a British newspaper, in 1882 is where the phrase "Ashes" first appeared. After Australia's first-ever Test triumph on English soil, the obituary bemoaned the "death" of English cricket. The ashes were reported to be sent to Australia when the corpse was burned. As a result, a little ceramic urn known as "The Ashes," which served as the series' symbolic prize, was made. Early Years and Shocking Victories: Australia controlled the Ashes in the early going, winning numerous games with outstanding efforts. When Australia, under the captaincy of Joe Darling, defeated England 3-2 in the 1894–95 season, England suffered a shocking loss. A ...