Editing The Ashes (section)

==Series and matches==
{{further|List of Ashes series}}

===Quest to "recover those ashes"===
{{See also|History of Test cricket from 1877 to 1883#The Ashes legend}}
[[File:Ivo Bligh Vanity Fair 7 April 1904.jpg|thumb|upright|The Honourable Ivo Bligh]]
Later in 1882, following the famous Australian victory at The Oval, [[Ivo Bligh, 8th Earl of Darnley|Bligh]] led an England team to Australia, as he said, to "recover those ashes". Publicity surrounding the series was intense, and it was at some time during this series that the Ashes urn was crafted. Australia won the First Test by [[Result (cricket)|nine wickets]], but in the next two England were victorious. At the end of the Third Test, England were generally considered to have "won back the Ashes" 2–1. A fourth match was played, against a "United Australian XI", which was arguably stronger than the Australian sides that had competed in the previous three matches; this game, however, is not generally considered part of the 1882–83 series. It ''is'' counted as a Test, but as a standalone. This match ended in a victory for Australia.

===1884 to 1896===
After Bligh's victory, there was an extended period of English dominance. The tours generally had fewer Tests in the 1880s and 1890s than people have grown accustomed to in more recent years, the first five-Test series taking place only in 1894–95. England lost only four Ashes Tests in the 1880s out of 23 played, and they won all the seven series contested.

There was more chopping and changing in the teams, given that there was no official board of selectors for each country (in 1887–88, two separate English teams were on tour in Australia) and popularity with the fans varied. The 1890s games were more closely fought, Australia taking its first series win since 1882 with a 2–1 victory in 1891–92. But England dominated, winning the next three series to 1896 despite continuing player disputes.

The [[English cricket team in Australia in 1894-95|1894–95]] series began in sensational fashion when England won the First Test at Sydney by just 10 runs having followed on. Australia had scored a massive 586 ([[Syd Gregory]] 201, [[George Giffen]] 161) and then dismissed England for 325. But England responded with 437 and then dramatically dismissed Australia for 166 with [[Bobby Peel]] taking 6 for 67. At the close of the second last day's play, Australia were 113–2, needing only 64 more runs. But heavy rain fell overnight and next morning the two slow left-arm bowlers, Peel and [[Johnny Briggs (cricketer)|Johnny Briggs]], were all but unplayable. England went on to win the series 3–2 after it had been all square before the Final Test, which England won by 6 wickets. The English heroes were Peel, with 27 wickets in the series at an average of 26.70, and [[Tom Richardson (cricketer)|Tom Richardson]], with 32 at 26.53.

In 1896, England under the captaincy of [[W. G. Grace]] won the series 2–1, and this marked the end of England's longest period of Ashes dominance.

===1897 to 1902===
Australia resoundingly won the 1897–98 series by 4–1 under the captaincy of [[Harry Trott]]. His successor [[Joe Darling]] won the next three series in 1899, 1901–02, and the [[Australian cricket team in England in 1902|classic 1902 series]], which became one of the most famous in the history of Test cricket.

Five matches were played in 1902 but the first two were drawn after being hit by bad weather. In the First Test (the first played at [[Edgbaston Cricket Ground|Edgbaston]]), after scoring 376 England bowled out Australia for 36 ([[Wilfred Rhodes]] 7/17) and reduced them to 46–2 when they followed on. Australia won the Third and Fourth Tests at [[Bramall Lane]] and [[Old Trafford Cricket Ground|Old Trafford]] respectively. At Old Trafford, Australia won by just 3 runs after [[Victor Trumper]] had scored 104 on a "bad wicket", reaching his hundred before lunch on the first day. England won the last Test at [[The Oval]] by one wicket. Chasing 263 to win, they slumped to 48–5 before [[Gilbert Jessop]]'s 104 gave them a chance. He reached his hundred in just 75 minutes. The last-wicket pair of [[George Herbert Hirst|George Hirst]] and Rhodes were required to score 15 runs for victory. When Rhodes joined him, Hirst reportedly said: "We'll get them in singles, Wilfred." In fact, they scored thirteen singles and a two.<ref>{{cite web |date=29 June 2019 |title=Wisden, 1974 edition – The glorious uncertainty |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152487.html |website=espncricinfo.com |access-date=20 February 2023 |archive-date=20 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220123247/https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152487.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The period of Darling's captaincy saw the emergence of outstanding Australian players such as Trumper, [[Warwick Armstrong]], [[James Kelly (cricketer)|James Kelly]], [[Monty Noble]], [[Clem Hill]], [[Hugh Trumble]] and [[Ernie Jones (Australian sportsman)|Ernie Jones]].

===Reviving the legend===
After what the [[Marylebone Cricket Club|MCC]] saw as the problems of the earlier professional and amateur series they decided to take control of organising tours themselves, and this led to the first MCC tour of Australia in 1903–04. England won it against the odds, and [[Plum Warner]], the England captain, wrote up his version of the tour in his book ''How We Recovered The Ashes''.<ref>[[Plum Warner]], ''How We Recovered The Ashes'', Longman, 1905</ref> The title of this book revived the Ashes legend and it was after this that England v Australia series were customarily referred to as "The Ashes".

===1905 to 1912===
England and Australia were evenly matched until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Five more series took place between 1905 and 1912. In 1905, England's captain [[Stanley Jackson (cricketer)|Stanley Jackson]] not only won the series 2–0, but also won the toss in all five matches and headed both the batting and the bowling averages. Monty Noble led Australia to victory in both 1907–08 and 1909. Then England won in 1911–12 by four matches to one. [[Jack Hobbs]] establishing himself as England's first-choice opening batsman with three centuries, while [[Frank Foster (cricketer)|Frank Foster]] (32 wickets at 21.62) and [[Sydney Barnes]] (34 wickets at 22.88) formed a formidable bowling partnership.

England retained the Ashes when it won the [[1912 Triangular Tournament]], which also featured [[South Africa national cricket team|South Africa]]. The Australian touring party had been severely weakened by a [[Big Six cricket dispute of 1912|dispute]] between the board and players that caused [[Clem Hill]], [[Victor Trumper]], Warwick Armstrong, [[Tibby Cotter]], [[Sammy Carter]] and [[Vernon Ransford]] to be omitted.<ref>Harte, pp. 251–256.</ref>

===1920 to 1933===
After the war, Australia took firm control of both the Ashes and world cricket. For the first time, the tactic of using two express bowlers in tandem paid off as [[Jack Gregory (cricketer)|Jack Gregory]] and [[Ted McDonald]] crippled the English batting on a regular basis. Australia recorded overwhelming victories both in England and on home soil. It won the first eight matches in succession including a 5–0 [[whitewash (sport)|whitewash]] in [[English cricket team in Australia in 1920-21|1920–1921]] at the hands of Warwick Armstrong's team.

The ruthless and belligerent Armstrong led his team back to England [[Australian cricket team in England in 1921|in 1921]] where his men lost only two games late in the tour to narrowly miss out of being the first team to complete a tour of England without defeat.

[[File:Herbert Sutcliffe 1924.jpg|thumb|left|[[Herbert Sutcliffe]] sweeps [[Arthur Mailey]] during the first Ashes Test in Sydney, 1924.]]
England won only one Test out of 15 from the end of the war until 1925.<ref>Harte, pp. 274–276.</ref><ref name=auslist>{{cite web |url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/guru?sdb=team;team=AUS;class=testteam;filter=basic;opposition=0;notopposition=0;decade=0;homeaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;groundid=0;season=0;startdefault=1877-03-15;start=1877-03-15;enddefault=2007-11-20;end=2007-11-20;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;scheduledovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;followon=0;result=0;seriesresult=0;captainid=0;recent=;viewtype=resultlist;runslow=;runshigh=;wicketslow=;wicketshigh=;ballslow=;ballshigh=;overslow=;overshigh=;bpo=0;batevent=;conclow=;conchigh=;takenlow=;takenhigh=;ballsbowledlow=;ballsbowledhigh=;oversbowledlow=;oversbowledhigh=;bpobowled=0;bowlevent=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype |title=Statsguru – Australia – Tests – Results list |publisher=[[Cricinfo]] |access-date=21 December 2007 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309063345/https://stats.espncricinfo.com/guru?sdb=team;team=AUS;class=testteam;filter=basic;opposition=0;notopposition=0;decade=0;homeaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;groundid=0;season=0;startdefault=1877-03-15;start=1877-03-15;enddefault=2007-11-20;end=2007-11-20;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;scheduledovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;followon=0;result=0;seriesresult=0;captainid=0;recent=;viewtype=resultlist;runslow=;runshigh=;wicketslow=;wicketshigh=;ballslow=;ballshigh=;overslow=;overshigh=;bpo=0;batevent=;conclow=;conchigh=;takenlow=;takenhigh=;ballsbowledlow=;ballsbowledhigh=;oversbowledlow=;oversbowledhigh=;bpobowled=0;bowlevent=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype |url-status=live }}</ref>

In a rain-hit series [[Australian cricket team in England in 1926|in 1926]], England managed to eke out a 1–0 victory with a win in the final Test at The Oval. Because the series was at stake, the match was to be "timeless", i.e., played to a finish. Australia had a narrow first innings lead of 22. Jack Hobbs and [[Herbert Sutcliffe]] took the score to 49–0 at the end of the second day, a lead of 27. Heavy rain fell overnight, and next day the pitch soon developed into a traditional sticky wicket. England seemed doomed to be bowled out cheaply and to lose the match. In spite of the very difficult batting conditions, however, Hobbs and Sutcliffe took their partnership to 172 before Hobbs was out for exactly 100. Sutcliffe went on to make 161 and England won the game comfortably.<ref>Harte, pp. 298–301.</ref> Australian captain [[Herbie Collins]] was stripped of all captaincy positions down to club level, and some accused him of throwing the match.

Australia's ageing post-war team broke up after 1926, with Collins, [[Charlie Macartney]] and [[Warren Bardsley]] all departing, and Gregory breaking down at the start of the [[English cricket team in Australia in 1928–29|1928–29 series]].

Despite the debut of [[Donald Bradman]], the inexperienced Australians, led by [[Jack Ryder (cricketer)|Jack Ryder]], were heavily defeated, losing 4–1.<ref>Harte, pp. 312–316.</ref> England had a very strong batting side, with [[Wally Hammond]] contributing 905 runs at an average of 113.12, and Hobbs, Sutcliffe and [[Patsy Hendren]] all scoring heavily; the bowling was more than adequate, without being outstanding.

In 1930, [[Bill Woodfull]] led an extremely inexperienced team to England.

Bradman fulfilled his promise in the [[Australian cricket team in England in 1930|1930 series]] when he scored 974 runs at 139.14, which remains a world record Test series aggregate. A modest Bradman can be heard in a 1930 recording saying "I have always endeavoured to do my best for the side, and the few centuries that have come my way have been achieved in the hope of winning matches. My one idea when going into bat was to make runs for Australia."<ref name="Don Bradman on australianscreen online">{{cite web|url=http://aso.gov.au/titles/spoken-word/1930-australian-xi-ashes/|title=Don Bradman in 'The 1930 Australian XI: Winners of the Ashes'|website=Aso.gov.au|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=1 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201123853/http://aso.gov.au/titles/spoken-word/1930-australian-xi-ashes/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[Headingley Cricket Ground|Headingley]] Test, he made 334, reaching 309* at the end of the first day, including a century before lunch. Bradman himself thought that his 254 in the preceding match, at [[Lord's]], was a better innings. England managed to stay in contention until the deciding final Test at The Oval, but yet another double hundred by Bradman, and 7/92 by [[Percy Hornibrook]] in England's second innings, enabled Australia to win by an innings and take the series 2–1. [[Clarrie Grimmett]]'s 29 wickets at 31.89 for Australia in this high-scoring series were also important.

Australia had one of the strongest batting line-ups ever in the early 1930s, with Bradman, [[Archie Jackson]], [[Stan McCabe]], Bill Woodfull, [[Bill Ponsford]] and [[Jack Fingleton]]. It was the prospect of bowling at this line-up that caused England's [[English cricket team in Australia in 1932–33|1932–33]] captain [[Douglas Jardine]] to adopt the tactic of fast [[leg theory]], better known as [[Bodyline]].

[[File:4th Test Woodfull.jpg|right|thumb|[[Bill Woodfull]] evades a ball from [[Harold Larwood]] with [[Bodyline]] field settings.]]

Jardine instructed his [[fast bowling|fast bowlers]], most notably [[Harold Larwood]] and [[Bill Voce]], to bowl at the bodies of the Australian batsmen, with the goal of forcing them to defend their bodies with their bats, thus providing easy catches to a stacked [[leg side|leg-side]] field. Jardine insisted that the tactic was legitimate and called it "leg theory" but it was widely disparaged by its opponents, who dubbed it "Bodyline" (from "on the line of the body"). Although England decisively won the Ashes 4–1, Bodyline caused such a furore in Australia that diplomats had to intervene to prevent serious harm to [[Anglo-Australian relations]], and the [[Marylebone Cricket Club|MCC]] eventually changed the [[Laws of cricket]] to curtail the number of leg side fielders.

Jardine's comment was: "I've not travelled 6,000 miles to make friends. I'm here to win the Ashes".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article2387560.ece | location=London | work=The Times | title=Top 50 British achievements | first=Patrick | last=Kidd | date=4 September 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821160249/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article2387560.ece | archive-date=21 August 2008}}</ref>

Some of the Australians wanted to use Bodyline in retaliation, but Woodfull flatly refused. He famously told England manager [[Pelham Warner]], "There are two teams out there. One is playing cricket; the other is making no attempt to do so" after the latter had come into the Australian rooms to express sympathy after a Larwood bouncer had struck the Australian skipper in the heart and felled him.<ref>{{Cite book| author = Cashman| author2 = Franks| author3 = Maxwell| author4 = Sainsbury| author5 = Stoddart| author6 = Weaver| author7 = Webster | date = 1997 | title = The A-Z of Australian cricketers|pages = 322–323}}</ref>

===1934 to 1953===
On the batting-friendly [[cricket pitch|wickets]] that prevailed in the late 1930s, most Tests up to the Second World War still gave results. It should be borne in mind that Tests in Australia prior to the war were all played to a finish, with many batting records set during this period.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.sportstats.com.au/zArchive/1930s/1930EA/1930EA.htm
| title = Test Cricket Tours - Australia to England 1930 - Series Averages
| website = Sportstats.com.au
| access-date = 3 May 2025
}}</ref>

The 1934 Ashes series began with the notable absence of Larwood, Voce and Jardine. The MCC had made it clear, in light of the revelations of the bodyline series, that these players would not face Australia. The MCC, although it had earlier condoned and encouraged<ref>{{Cite book|last=Frith|first=David|title=Bodyline autopsy: the full story of the most sensational test cricket series: Australia vs England 1932-33|publisher=ABC Books for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation|year=2002|isbn=0733311725|location=Sydney|pages=47}}</ref> bodyline tactics in the 1932–33 series, laid the blame on Larwood when relations turned sour. Larwood was forced by the MCC to either apologise or be removed from the Test side. He went for the latter.

Australia recovered the Ashes in 1934 and held them until 1953, though no Test cricket was played during the Second World War.

As in 1930, the 1934 series was decided in the final Test at The Oval. Australia, batting first, posted a massive 701 in the first innings. Bradman (244) and Ponsford (266) were in record-breaking form with a partnership of 451 for the second wicket. England eventually faced a massive 707-run target for victory and failed, Australia winning the series 2–1.<ref>Harte, pp. 356–357.</ref> This made Woodfull the only captain to regain the Ashes and he retired upon his return to Australia.

In 1936–37 Bradman succeeded Woodfull as Australian captain. He started badly, losing the first two Tests heavily after Australia were caught on [[sticky wicket]]s. However, the Australians fought back and Bradman won his first series in charge 3–2.

The 1938 series was a high-scoring affair with two high-scoring draws, resulting in a 1–1 result, Australia retaining the Ashes. After the first two matches ended in stalemate and the Third Test at Old Trafford never started due to rain, Australia then scraped home by five wickets inside three days in a low-scoring match at Headingley to retain the urn. In the timeless Fifth Test at The Oval, the highlight was [[Len Hutton]]'s then world-record score of 364 as England made 903-7 declared. Bradman and [[Jack Fingleton]] injured themselves during Hutton's marathon effort, and with only nine men, Australia fell to defeat by an innings and 579 runs,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/6109836.stm |title=Classic Ashes clashes – 1938, The Oval |website=BBC Sport |date=5 November 2006 |access-date=12 June 2023 |archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402131542/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/6109836.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> the heaviest in Test history.

The Ashes resumed after the war when England toured in 1946–47 and, as in 1920–21, found that Australia had made the better post-war recovery. Still captained by Bradman and now featuring the potent new-ball partnership of [[Ray Lindwall]] and [[Keith Miller]], Australia were convincing 3–0 winners.

Aged 38 and having been unwell during the war, Bradman had been reluctant to play. He batted unconvincingly and reached 28 when he hit a ball to [[Jack Ikin]]; England believed it was a catch, but Bradman stood his ground, believing it to be a bump ball. The umpire ruled in the Australian captain's favour and he appeared to regain his fluency of yesteryear, scoring 187. Australia promptly seized the initiative, won the First Test convincingly and inaugurated a dominant post-war era. The controversy over the Ikin catch was one of the biggest disputes of the era.

In 1948, Australia set new standards, completely outplaying its hosts to win 4–0 with one draw. This [[Australian cricket team in England in 1948|Australian team]], led by Bradman, who turned 40 during his final tour of England, has gone down in history as ''The Invincibles''. Playing 34 matches on tour – three of which were not first-class – and including the five Tests, they remained unbeaten, winning 27 and drawing 7.

Bradman's men were greeted by packed crowds across the country, and records for Test attendances in England were set in the [[Second Test, 1948 Ashes series|Second]] and [[Fourth Test, 1948 Ashes series|Fourth Tests]] at Lord's and Headingley respectively. Before a record attendance of spectators at Headingley, Australia set a world record by chasing down 404 on the last day for a seven-wicket victory.

The 1948 series ended with one of the most poignant moments in cricket history, as Bradman played his final innings for Australia in the [[Fifth Test, 1948 Ashes series|Fifth Test]] at The Oval, needing to score only four runs to end with a career [[batting average (cricket)|batting average]] of exactly 100. However, Bradman made a second-ball duck, bowled by an [[Eric Hollies]] googly<ref>{{Cite news|date=27 May 2009|title=1948 – Bradman's final innings duck|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/8036237.stm|website=BBC Sport|access-date=12 June 2023|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402185229/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/8036237.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> that sent him into retirement with a career average of 99.94.

Bradman was succeeded as Australian captain by [[Lindsay Hassett]], who led the team to a 4–1 series victory in 1950–51. The series was not as one-sided as the number of wins suggest, with several tight matches.

The tide finally turned in 1953 when England won the final Test at The Oval to take the series 1–0, having narrowly avoided defeat in the preceding Test at Headingley. This was the beginning of one of the greatest periods in English cricket history with players such as captain Len Hutton, batsmen [[Denis Compton]], [[Peter May (cricketer)|Peter May]], [[Tom Graveney]], [[Colin Cowdrey]], bowlers [[Fred Trueman]], [[Brian Statham]], [[Alec Bedser]], [[Jim Laker]], [[Tony Lock]], wicket-keeper [[Godfrey Evans]] and all-rounder [[Trevor Bailey]].

===1954 to 1971===
[[File:Peter May.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Peter May (cricketer)|Peter May]] driving [[Bill Johnston (cricketer)|Bill Johnston]] on his way to a century at Sydney.]]
In [[English cricket team in Australia in 1954-55|1954–55]], Australia's batsmen had no answer to the pace of [[Frank Tyson]] and Statham. After winning the First Test by an innings after being controversially sent in by Hutton, Australia lost its way and England took a hat-trick of victories to win the series 3–1.<ref>Harte, pp. 435–437.</ref>

A dramatic series in 1956 saw a record that will probably never be beaten: off-spinner [[Jim Laker]]'s monumental effort at [[Old Trafford Cricket Ground|Old Trafford]] when he bowled 68 of 191 overs to take 19 out of 20 possible Australian wickets in the Fourth Test.<ref>Harte, pp. 444–446.</ref> It was Australia's second consecutive innings defeat in a wet summer, and the hosts were in strong positions in the two drawn Tests, in which half the playing time was washed out. Bradman rated the team that won the series 2–1 as England's best ever.

England's dominance was not to last. Australia won 4–0 in 1958–59, having found a high-quality spinner of their own in new skipper [[Richie Benaud]], who took 31 wickets in the five-Test series, and paceman [[Alan Keith Davidson|Alan Davidson]], who took 24 wickets at 19.00. The series was overshadowed by the furore over various Australian bowlers, most notably [[Ian Meckiff]], whom the English management and media accused of [[throwing (cricket)|illegally throwing]] Australia to victory.

In 1961, Australia won a hard-fought series 2–1, their first Ashes series win in England for 13 years.  After narrowly winning the Second Test at Lord's, dubbed "The Battle of the Ridge" because of a protrusion on the pitch that caused erratic bounce, Australia mounted a comeback on the final day of the Fourth Test at Old Trafford and sealed the series with Richie Benaud taking 6-70 during the English runchase.

The tempo of the play changed over the next four series in the 1960s, held in 1962–63, 1964, 1965–66 and 1968. The powerful array of bowlers that both countries boasted in the preceding decade moved into retirement, and their replacements were of lesser quality, making it more difficult to force a result. England failed to win any series during the 1960s, a period dominated by draws as teams found it more prudent to save face than risk losing. Of the 20 Tests played during the four series, Australia won four and England three. As they held the Ashes, Australia's captains [[Bob Simpson (cricketer)|Bob Simpson]] and [[Bill Lawry]] were happy to adopt safety-first tactics and their strategy of sedate batting saw many draws. During this period, spectator attendances dropped and media condemnation increased, but Simpson and Lawry flatly disregarded the public dissatisfaction.

It was in the 1960s that the bipolar dominance of England and Australia in world cricket was seriously challenged for the first time. West Indies defeated England twice in the mid-1960s and South Africa, in two series before they were banned for [[apartheid]], completely outplayed Australia 3–1 and 4–0. Australia had lost 2–1 during a tour of the West Indies in 1964–65, the first time it had lost a series to any team other than England.

In 1970–71, [[Ray Illingworth]] led England to a 2–0 win in Australia, mainly due to [[John Snow (cricketer)|John Snow]]'s fast bowling, and the prolific batting of [[Geoffrey Boycott]] and [[John Edrich]]. It was not until the last session of what was the 7th Test (one match having been abandoned without a ball bowled) that England's success was secured. Lawry was sacked after the Sixth Test after the selectors finally lost patience with Australia's lack of success and dour strategy. Lawry was not informed of the decision privately and heard his fate over the radio.<ref>Harte, pp. 526–530.</ref>

===1972 to 1987===
The 1972 series finished 2–2, with England under Illingworth retaining the Ashes.<ref>Harte, pp. 538–540.</ref>

In the 1974–75 series, with the England team breaking up and their best batsman Geoff Boycott refusing to play, Australian pace bowlers [[Jeff Thomson]] and [[Dennis Lillee]] wreaked havoc. A 4–1 result was a fair reflection as England were left shell shocked.<ref>Harte, pp. 557–559.</ref> England then lost the 1975 series 0–1, but at least restored some pride under new captain [[Tony Greig]].<ref>Harte, pp. 561–563.</ref>

Australia won the 1977 Centenary Test<ref>Harte, pp. 580–581.</ref> which was not an Ashes contest, but then a storm broke as [[Kerry Packer]] announced his intention to form [[World Series Cricket]].<ref>Harte, pp. 579–590</ref> WSC affected all Test-playing nations but it weakened Australia especially as the bulk of its players had signed up with Packer; the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) would not select WSC-contracted players and an almost completely new Test team had to be formed. WSC came after an era during which the duopoly of Australian and English dominance dissipated; the Ashes had long been seen as a cricket world championship but the rise of the West Indies in the late 1970s challenged that view. The West Indies would go on to record resounding Test series wins over Australia and England and dominated world cricket until the 1990s.

With Greig having joined WSC, England appointed [[Mike Brearley]] as its captain and he enjoyed great success against Australia. Largely assisted by the return of Boycott, Brearley's men won the 1977 series 3–0 and then completed an overwhelming 5–1 series win against an Australian side missing its WSC players in 1978–79. [[Allan Border]] made his Test debut for Australia in 1978–79.

Brearley retired from Test cricket in 1980 and was succeeded by [[Ian Botham]], who started the [[Australian cricket team in England in 1981|1981 series]] as England captain, by which time the WSC split had ended. After Australia took a 1–0 lead in the first two Tests, Botham was forced to resign or was sacked (depending on the source). Brearley surprisingly agreed to be reappointed before the Third Test at Headingley. This was a remarkable match in which Australia looked certain to take a 2–0 series lead after it had forced England to follow-on 227 runs behind. England, despite being 135 for 7, produced a second innings total of 356, Botham scoring 149*. Chasing just 130, Australia were sensationally dismissed for 111, [[Bob Willis]] taking 8–43. It was the first time since 1894–95 that a team following on had won a Test match. Under Brearley's leadership, England went on to win the next two matches before a drawn final match at The Oval.<ref>Harte, pp. 627–628.</ref> This series became known as 'Botham's Ashes' for his extraordinary feats with both bat and ball, after being dismissed as captain.

In 1982–83 Australia had [[Greg Chappell]] back from WSC as captain, while the England team was weakened by the enforced omission of their [[South African rebel tours|South African tour rebels]], particularly [[Graham Gooch]] and [[John Emburey]]. Australia went 2–0 up after three Tests, but England won the Fourth Test by 3 runs (after a 70-run last wicket stand) to set up the final decider, which was drawn.<ref>Harte, pp. 636–637.</ref>

In 1985, [[David Gower]]'s England team was strengthened by the return of Gooch and Emburey as well as the emergence at international level of [[Tim Robinson (English cricketer)|Tim Robinson]] and [[Mike Gatting]]. Australia, now captained by Allan Border, had itself been weakened by a rebel South African tour, the loss of [[Terry Alderman]] being a particular factor. England won 3–1.

Despite suffering heavy defeats against the West Indies during the 1980s, England continued to do well in the Ashes. Mike Gatting was the captain in 1986–87 but his team started badly and attracted some criticism.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/columns/content/story/268042.html | title=Can't bat, can't bowl, can't field | publisher=[[Cricinfo]] | last=Miller | first=Andrew | author2=Martin Williamson | date=16 November 2006 | access-date=8 November 2007 | archive-date=15 October 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015131726/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/columns/content/story/268042.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Then [[Chris Broad (cricketer)|Chris Broad]] scored three hundreds in successive Tests and bowling successes from [[Graham Dilley]] and [[Gladstone Small]] meant England won the series 2–1.<ref>Harte, pp. 662–664.</ref>

===1989 to 2005===
[[File:MCG99.jpg|right|thumb|[[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] [[Boxing Day Test]] 1998]]
The Australian team of 1989 was comparable to the great Australian teams of the past, and resoundingly defeated England 4–0.<ref>Harte, pp. 679–682.</ref> Well led by [[Allan Border]], the team included the young cricketers [[Mark Taylor (cricketer)|Mark Taylor]], [[Merv Hughes]], [[David Boon]], [[Ian Healy]] and [[Steve Waugh]], who were all to prove long-serving and successful Ashes competitors. England, now led once again by [[David Gower]], suffered from injuries and poor form. During the Fourth Test news broke that prominent England players had agreed to take part in a "rebel tour" of South Africa the following winter; three of them ([[Tim Robinson (English cricketer)|Tim Robinson]], [[Neil Foster]] and [[John Emburey]]) were playing in the match, and were subsequently dropped from the England side.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://content-www.cricinfo.com/wisdencricketer/content/story/139086.html|title=Rebels take a step too far (English rebel tour to South Africa, 1989)|first=Nick|last=Hoult|publisher=[[Cricinfo]]|date=July 2004|access-date=22 October 2007|archive-date=7 July 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707220351/http://content-www.cricinfo.com/wisdencricketer/content/story/139086.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Australia reached a cricketing peak in the 1990s and early 2000s, coupled with a general decline in England's fortunes. After re-establishing its credibility in 1989, Australia underlined its superiority with victories in the 1990–91, 1993, 1994–95, 1997, 1998–99, 2001 and 2002–03 series, all by convincing margins.

Great Australian players in the early years included batsmen Border, Boon, Taylor and Steve Waugh. The captaincy passed from Border to Taylor in the mid-1990s and then to Steve Waugh before the 2001 series. In the latter part of the 1990s Waugh himself, along with his twin brother [[Mark Waugh|Mark]], scored heavily for Australia and fast bowlers [[Glenn McGrath]] and [[Jason Gillespie]] made a serious impact, especially the former. The wicketkeeper-batsman position was held by Ian Healy for most of the 1990s and by [[Adam Gilchrist]] from 2001 to 2006–07. In the 2000s, batsmen [[Justin Langer]], [[Damien Martyn]] and [[Matthew Hayden]] became noted players for Australia. But the most dominant Australian player was leg-spinner [[Shane Warne]], whose first delivery in Ashes cricket in 1993, to dismiss Mike Gatting, became known as the [[Ball of the Century]].

Australia's record between 1989 and 2005 had a significant impact on the statistics between the two sides. Before the 1989 series began, the win–loss ratio was almost even, with 87 test wins for Australia to England's 86, 74 tests having been drawn.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;filter=advanced;opposition=1;orderby=won;spanmax2=1+Apr+1989;spanval2=span;team=2;template=results;trophy=1;type=team |title=Team records &#124; Test matches &#124; Cricinfo Statsguru &#124; ESPN Cricinfo |publisher=Stats.cricinfo.com |access-date=22 July 2013}}</ref> By the 2005 series Australia's test wins had increased to 115 whereas England's had increased to only 93 (with 82 draws).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;filter=advanced;opposition=1;orderby=won;spanmax2=1+Apr+2005;spanval2=span;team=2;template=results;trophy=1;type=team |title=Team records &#124; Test matches &#124; Cricinfo Statsguru &#124; ESPN Cricinfo |publisher=Stats.cricinfo.com |access-date=22 July 2013}}</ref> In the period between 1989 and the beginning of the 2005 series, the two sides had played 43 times; Australia winning 28 times, England 7 times, with 8 draws. Only a single England victory had come in a match in which the Ashes were still at stake, namely the First Test of the 1997 series. All others were consolation victories when the Ashes had been secured by Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/guru?sdb=team;team=AUS;class=testteam;filter=basic;opposition=ENG;notopposition=0;decade=0;homeaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;groundid=0;season=0;startdefault=1877-03-15;start=1877-03-15;enddefault=2005-03-29;end=2005-03-29;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;scheduledovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;followon=0;result=0;seriesresult=0;captainid=0;recent=;viewtype=series;runslow=;runshigh=;wicketslow=;wicketshigh=;ballslow=;ballshigh=;overslow=;overshigh=;bpo=0;batevent=;conclow=;conchigh=;takenlow=;takenhigh=;ballsbowledlow=;ballsbowledhigh=;oversbowledlow=;oversbowledhigh=;bpobowled=0;bowlevent=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype |title=Cricinfo – Statsguru – Australia – Tests – Series record |publisher=Stats.cricinfo.com |date=17 June 2008 |access-date=22 July 2013}}</ref>

===2005 to 2015===
[[File:Trent Bridge, Flintoff century, 26 Aug 2005.jpg|left|thumb|[[Andrew Flintoff|Flintoff]] reaches 100 at [[Trent Bridge]] in 2005]]
England were undefeated in Test matches through the 2004 calendar year. This elevated them to second in the [[ICC Test Championship]]. Hopes that the [[2005 Ashes series]] would be closely fought proved well-founded, the series remaining undecided as the closing session of the final Test began. Experienced journalists including Richie Benaud rated the series as the most exciting in living memory. It has been compared with the great series of the distant past, such as 1894–95 and 1902.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sport.y2u.co.uk/Cricket/Cricket_The_Ashes.htm|title=THE ASHES, a battle of wills between English and Australian Cricket|website=sport.y2u.co.uk|access-date=2017-01-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104233724/http://sport.y2u.co.uk/Cricket/Cricket_The_Ashes.htm|archive-date=4 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The First Test at [[Lord's]] was convincingly won by Australia, but in the remaining four matches the teams were evenly matched and England fought back to win the Second Test by 2 runs, the smallest winning margin in Ashes history, and the second-smallest in all Tests. The rain-affected Third Test ended with the last two Australian batsmen holding out for a draw; and England won the Fourth Test by three wickets after forcing Australia to [[follow-on]] for the first time in 191 Tests. A draw in the final Test gave England victory in an Ashes series for the first time in 18 years and their first Ashes victory at home since 1985.

Australia regained the Ashes on its home turf in the [[2006–07 Ashes series|2006–07 series]] with a convincing 5–0 victory, only the second time an Ashes series had been won by that margin. [[Shane Warne]], [[Glenn McGrath]] and [[Justin Langer]] retired from Test cricket after that series, while [[Damien Martyn]] retired during the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/australia/content/player/6513.html|title=Damien Martyn|publisher=cricinfo|access-date=17 February 2008|archive-date=7 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207001217/http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/australia/content/player/6513.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Ashes 2010-11 Sydney Test final wicket.jpg|thumb|right|[[Chris Tremlett]] bowls [[Michael Beer (cricketer)|Michael Beer]] to complete England's 3–1 Ashes victory on 7 January 2011]]

The [[2009 Ashes series|2009 series]] began with a tense draw in the First Test at [[SWALEC Stadium]] in [[Cardiff]], with England's last-wicket batsmen [[James Anderson (cricketer)|James Anderson]] and [[Monty Panesar]] surviving 69 balls. England then achieved its first Ashes win at Lord's since 1934 to go 1–0 up. After a rain-affected draw at Edgbaston, the fourth match at Headingley was convincingly won by Australia by an innings and 80 runs to level the series. Finally, England won the Fifth Test at [[The Oval]] by a margin of 197 runs to regain the Ashes. [[Andrew Flintoff]] retired from Test cricket soon afterwards.

The [[2010–11 Ashes series|2010–11 series]] was played in Australia. The First Test at Brisbane ended in a draw, but England won the Second Test, at Adelaide, by an innings and 71 runs. Australia came back with a victory at Perth in the Third Test. In the Fourth Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground, England batting second scored 513 to defeat Australia (98 and 258) by an innings and 157 runs. This gave England an unbeatable 2–1 lead in the series and so it retained the Ashes. England went on to win the series 3–1, beating Australia by an innings and 83 runs at Sydney in the Fifth Test, including their highest innings total since 1938 (644). England's series victory was its first on Australian soil for 24 years. The 2010–11 Ashes series was the only one in which a team had won three Tests by innings margins and it was the first time England had scored 500 or more four times in a single series. England opener Cook scored 766 runs at average 127.66 in the series, the most dominant batsman in an Ashes series since Bradman in 1930.

Australia's build-up to the [[2013 Ashes series]] was far from ideal. [[Darren Lehmann]] took over as coach from [[Mickey Arthur]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 June 2013 |title=Ashes 2013: Darren Lehmann replaces Mickey Arthur as Australia coach; Clarke steps down as selector |work=ABC News|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-24/lehmann-named-australian-coach/4777030|access-date=12 June 2023|archive-date=23 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223034811/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-24/lehmann-named-australian-coach/4777030|url-status=live}}</ref> following a string of poor results. A batting line-up weakened by the previous year's retirements of former captain [[Ricky Ponting]] and [[Mike Hussey]] was also shorn of opener [[David Warner (cricketer)|David Warner]], who was suspended for the start of the series following an off-field incident.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ashes 2013: David Warner set for southern Africa match practice |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/23261135 |work=BBC Sport |date=10 July 2013 |access-date=11 July 2013 |archive-date=10 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130710225656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/23261135 |url-status=live }}</ref> England won a closely fought First Test by 14 runs, despite 19-year-old debutant [[Ashton Agar]] making a world-record 98 for a number 11 in the first innings. England then won a very one-sided Second Test by 347 runs while the rain-affected Third Test, held at a newly refurbished Old Trafford, was drawn, ensuring that England retained the Ashes.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sheringham |first=Sam |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/23579840 |title=Ashes 2013: England retain Ashes as rain forces Old Trafford draw |work=BBC Sport |date=5 August 2013 |access-date=17 August 2013 |archive-date=12 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812110007/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/23579840 |url-status=live }}</ref> England won the Fourth Test by 74 runs after Australia lost their last eight second-innings wickets for only 86 runs. The final Test was drawn,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/23836394 |title=Ashes 2013: Ashes 2013: England win series 3–0 after bad light ends Oval Test |work=BBC Sport |date=25 August 2013 |access-date=29 August 2013 |archive-date=28 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828061619/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/23836394 |url-status=live }}</ref> giving England a 3–0 series win.

[[File:Australia won the Ashes 5-0.jpg|thumb|Celebrations at the SCG after Australia won the Ashes 5–0 in 2014]]
In the second of two Ashes series held in [[2013–14 Ashes series|2013 (the series ended in 2014)]], this time hosted by Australia, the home team won the series five test matches to nil. This was the third time Australia has completed a clean sweep (or "whitewash") in Ashes history, a feat never matched by England. All six Australian specialist batsmen scored more runs than any Englishman with 10 centuries among them, with only debutant Ben Stokes scoring a century for England. Mitchell Johnson took 37 English wickets at 13.97 and Ryan Harris 22 wickets at 19.31 in the 5-Test series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/708507.html;type=series|title=The best series for fast bowlers|work=Cricinfo|date=10 January 2014|access-date=3 September 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109234522/http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/708507.html|archive-date=9 November 2015}}</ref> Only Stuart Broad and all-rounder Stokes bowled effectively for England, with their spinner Graeme Swann retiring due to a chronic elbow injury after the decisive Third Test.

Australia came into the [[2015 Ashes series]] in England as favourites to retain the Ashes. Although England won the first Test in Cardiff, Australia won comfortably in the second Test at Lords. In the next two Tests, the Australian batsmen struggled, being bowled out for 136 in the first innings at [[Edgbaston]], with England proceeding to win by eight wickets. This was followed by Australia being bowled out for 60 as [[Stuart Broad]] took 8 for 15 in the first innings at Trent Bridge, the quickest – in terms of balls faced – a team has been bowled out in the first innings of a Test match. With victory by an innings and 78 runs on the morning of the third day of the Fourth Test, England regained the Ashes.

===2017 to present===
During the buildup, the [[2017–18 Ashes series]] was regarded as a turning point for both sides. Australia were criticised for being too reliant on captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, while England was said to have a shoddy middle to lower order.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/97160/australia-cricket-team-over-reliant-on-steve-smith-david-warner-feels-michael-slater |title=Australia over-reliant on Smith, Warner, feels Slater |website=[[CricBuzz]] |date=18 September 2017 |access-date=2 May 2020 |archive-date=13 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813144424/https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/97160/australia-cricket-team-over-reliant-on-steve-smith-david-warner-feels-michael-slater |url-status=live }}</ref> Off the field, England all-rounder [[Ben Stokes]] was ruled out of the side indefinitely due to a police investigation.

Australia won the first Test match in Brisbane by 10 wickets<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/42132855|title=Ashes: Australia beat England by 10 wickets in first Test|work=BBC Sport|date=27 November 2017|access-date=19 June 2018|archive-date=19 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619161907/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/42132855|url-status=live}}</ref> and the second Test at Adelaide by 120 runs in the first ever day-night Ashes test match. Australia regained The Ashes with an innings and 41 run win in the third Test at Perth; the final Ashes Test at the WACA Ground.<ref name="reclaim">{{Cite news |url=http://www.cricket.com.au/news/match-report/day-five-australia-england-third-magellan-ashes-test-video-highlights-live-scores-stream-waca/2017-12-18 |title=Ruthless Australia regain the Ashes |work=Cricket Australia |access-date=18 December 2017 |archive-date=26 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126190949/http://www.cricket.com.au/news/match-report/day-five-australia-england-third-magellan-ashes-test-video-highlights-live-scores-stream-waca/2017-12-18 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Prior to the [[2019 Ashes series]], both teams were considered to have very strong bowling attacks but struggling batting orders. Australia had its top-order batsmen [[David Warner (cricketer)|David Warner]], [[Steve Smith (cricketer)|Steve Smith]] and [[Cameron Bancroft]] available for international selection after being banned from international cricket for 9–12 months following the [[2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal|ball-tampering scandal]] in South Africa, during which time [[India national cricket team|India]] had won its first ever Test series in Australia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/969301 |title=India secure historic series victory |work=International Cricket Council |access-date=24 July 2019 |archive-date=7 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107232946/https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/969301 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, Australia recovered to win the [[Sri Lanka cricket team in Australia in 2018–19|Test series]] against Sri Lanka 2–0.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1047647 |title=Starc takes ten as Australia sweep series |work=International Cricket Council |access-date=24 July 2019 |archive-date=4 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204174352/https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1047647 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Despite winning the [[2019 Cricket World Cup Final|Cricket World Cup]] in July 2019 for the first time, England had also been criticised for its fragile top-order in Tests. The retirement of opener [[Alastair Cook]] in August 2018 ensured potential top-order batsmen [[Rory Burns]], [[Joe Denly]] and [[Jason Roy]] were able to secure a place in the side. Despite losing a Test series 2–1 in their [[England cricket team in the West Indies in 2018–19|tour of the West Indies]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/47217347 |title=England in West Indies: Tourists claim consolation 232-run victory as hosts win series 2-1 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=12 February 2019 |archive-date=12 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212210303/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/47217347 |url-status=live }}</ref> England then improved to win the [[Irish cricket team in England in 2019|one-off Test against Ireland]], by 143 runs. The 2019 series was eventually drawn 2–2, with Australia retaining the Ashes.

The [[2021–22 Ashes series]] was played from December 2021 through January 2022,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cricket.com.au/news/2021-2022-summer-of-cricket-schedule-fixture-season-australia-ashes-dates-venues-england-india/2021-05-19 |title=Fixture confirmed for dual Ashes series, Afghan Test |work=Cricket Australia |access-date=19 May 2021 |archive-date=18 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518203135/https://www.cricket.com.au/news/2021-2022-summer-of-cricket-schedule-fixture-season-australia-ashes-dates-venues-england-india/2021-05-19 |url-status=live }}</ref> and featured the first Ashes Test match to be played in Tasmania, at [[Hobart]]'s [[Bellerive Oval]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-14/tasmanians-celebrate-fifth-ashes-test-beginning-in-hobart/100757020|title=Tasmanians gather to watch historic fifth Ashes Test at Bellerive Oval in Hobart|date=14 January 2022|access-date=17 January 2022|publisher=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|archive-date=17 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220117011141/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-14/tasmanians-celebrate-fifth-ashes-test-beginning-in-hobart/100757020|url-status=live}}</ref> Australia retained the Ashes in the 2021–22 Ashes series, after comfortably beating England 4–0.

England were the hosts of the five Test matches of the [[2023 Ashes series]]. The series got off to a good start for Australia as they won the first two Tests to go 0–2 up. The hosts won the third Test to put the series at 1-2 for the visitors. England needed to win the fourth Test in a hope to not only level the series but prevent Australia from retaining the Ashes. The match looked good for England to win, but [[rain]] intervened on the last two days and forced a draw, thus Australia retained the Ashes with the series at 1–2 after four Tests.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australia retain Ashes after fourth test washout |url=https://supersport.com/cricket/england-v-australia-the-ashes-2023/news/636db311-c468-424b-b952-a6ee74799793/australia-retain-ashes-after-fourth-test-washout |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=SuperSport |language=en}}</ref> The fifth and final Test was played at [[The Oval]]. During the contest [[Stuart Broad]] announced that he would retire from cricket at the end of the match.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World reacts to stunning Stuart Broad retirement news |url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/3610356 |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=www.icc-cricket.com |language=en}}</ref> England went on to win the final Test match to draw the series at 2-2.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Ashes {{!}} 2023 The Ashes {{!}} Live Score, Schedule, News |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/the-ashes-2023-1336037 |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=World reacts to thrilling drawn Ashes series |url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/3612212 |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=www.icc-cricket.com |language=en}}</ref>