Why is England called Ashes in Australia?

England and Australia have a long history of cricket rivalry. This is why England is often referred to as the 'Ashes' in Australia. The term has its origins in a cricketing obituary published in a British newspaper in 1882, after Australia beat England in a Test match in England for the first time.

The obituary declared the death of English cricket and said that the ‘ashes’ of English cricket had been taken to Australia. This was in reference to the burning of a bail, which was a symbol of the game. The phrase was then used to refer to the rivalry between England and Australia in cricket.

The rivalry has continued over many years, with the Ashes series being an important event in the cricketing world. The two sides compete for the Ashes trophy, which is a small urn containing the ashes of a bail. This rivalry has made the term ‘Ashes’ synonymous with England in Australia, as a reminder of the long-standing rivalry between the two nations.