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New Delhi: With the Ashes just a day away, the familiar sense of anticipation is back. No matter the sport, no matter the rivalry, very few matches carry the weight of England playing Australia. Mention the word “Ashes” to anyone on either side of the world and you are bound to get a reaction. It’s the kind of contest that has shaped careers, defined eras and delivered some of cricket’s most unforgettable moments. And with the latest chapter set to begin in Perth, it’s worth looking back at how this all started.

The Ashes is a cricket series that is hosted every two years between England and Australia. Both countries serve as hosts in turns, with each series consisting of five Test matches, and each is played over a maximum of five days. The winner wins the Ashes, and if the series ends in a draw, then the previous winner retains them.

England and Australia first met in Test cricket in 1877, but the rivalry didn’t truly spark until 1882. That year, Australia pulled off their first Test win on England soil, a result so shocking that a London newspaper printed a mock obituary for English cricket. It joked that the game had “died” and its ashes would be taken to Australia.

The line struck a nerve when Three Lions travelled to Australia later that year, and the mission became clear to regain those ashes. They did so by winning the series 2-1, and from that moment, the term “Ashes” struck.

It took another half-century before a small terracotta urn believed to contain the symbolic ashes arrived at Lord’s. It’s tiny, fragile, and never leaves the MCC Museum, but its significance is enormous. Today, the teams compete for a larger crystal trophy modelled on the urn, but the myth of the original remains at the heart of the rivalry.

Over 143 years, the Ashes have grown into the sport’s most fiercely protected tradition. Australia have won 34 series while England has won 32, and just seven have been drawn. A draw means the side holding the urn simply keeps it, which has added its own drama to some tight contests.

What makes the Ashes special is how each era has produced its own turning points. England dominated the early years, then Australia put together long stretches of control, including eight consecutive series wins from 1989 to 2003. Within those decades came moments that still define cricket history. From Ian Botham’s 1981 heroics, Shane Warne’s “Ball of the Century” to Ben Stokes’ miraculous 135* at Headingley in 2019.

Even the most recent series haven’t lost their edge with Australia thrashing England 4-0 in 2021-22, only for the 2023 Ashes to finish 2-2 in one of the most gripping contests of the modern era.

England haven’t won a Test in Australia since 2010-11, which now feels like a lifetime. But this time, there’s a sense of unpredictability as Aussies are missing key bowlers at the start, while England brings “Bazball” to Australian soil for the first time. Both sides have enough talent to tilt the series, and both have vulnerabilities that could unravel quickly.

As the clock ticks down to the first ball in Perth, the story stretches far beyond the five Tests about to be played. It’s 140 years of history, pride, heartbreak and triumph wrapped into one rivalry, and that’s why even today the Ashes still feels bigger than cricket.