<h2>What are The Ashes?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Ashes is a five-match Test cricket series played between the national teams of Australia and England. It is one of the oldest &amp; most famous rivalries in sport, dating all the way back to 1882.</p> <p>The Test series is played every 18 months to two years, with one Ashes series featuring in each ICC World Test Championship cycle.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Origins of The Ashes?</h2> <h2>&nbsp;</h2> <p>The name “Ashes” originated after Australia’s first Test win on English soil in 1882. A British newspaper published a satirical obituary on the front page of the paper, announcing the death of English Cricket and that it would be cremated, with its ashes taken to Australia.&nbsp;</p> <h2>What is the Ashes trophy made of?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Ashes trophy, colloquially referred to as ‘The little urn’, is a small terracotta trophy that is believed to have the ashes of a burnt cricket bail inside it.&nbsp;</p> <p>The iconic trophy is kept at the MCC museum at Lord’s Cricket Ground. The winners of each Ashes series are presented with the little urn to hold aloft at the trophy presentation, along with a replica Waterford Crystal Trophy.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>What is the format of The Ashes?</h2> <h2>&nbsp;</h2> <p>The Men’s Ashes series is contested over a series of five Test matches. To win the Ashes, a team must win the series outright. If a series is drawn, the team that entered the series as holders of The Ashes will retain the trophy.</p> <p>The Women’s Ashes is contested differently, with games and points on offer from seven games across a multi-format series.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Women’s Ashes series consists of three One Day International Matches, three T20 Matches, and one Women’s Test Match, with each match containing a fixed number of points per victory. The winner is determined by the team that accrues the most points over the series of matches.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>What is the significance of The Ashes?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Ashes is widely viewed as the biggest rivalry in the game of Cricket and the oldest and most storied international sporting rivalry.&nbsp;</p> <p>Performances in the Ashes often define legacies. Careers are launched, reputations are cemented, and heroes are made through unforgettable deeds on this grand stage. It remains a pinnacle of test cricket, where pressure, passion, and prestige converge like nowhere else.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Who holds The Ashes?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Australia is the current holder of the Ashes after they retained the little urn in the dramatic drawn series in England in 2023.</p> <p>Australia has held The Ashes since the 2017/18 series in Australia, which they won 4-0.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>What are The Ashes Venues?</h2> <p>The Ashes are high-profile Test matches, and are played at some of the biggest cricketing grounds around Australia and England.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>What are the Australian Ashes Venues</h3> <p>All of Australia’s main stadiums in each capital city have hosted an Ashes Test match. In 2025/26, the Ashes series will be played at the following venues:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>- Optus Stadium, Perth</p> <p>- The Gabba, Brisbane</p> <p>- Adelaide Oval, Adelaide</p> <p>- Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne</p> <p>- Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>What are the English Ashes Venues</h3> <p>With Cricket being one of England’s national sports, several historical venues around the country have hosted Ashes Test matches. Historical venues such as Headingley in Leeds and Old Trafford in Manchester have staged memorable and historic Ashes Test matches.&nbsp;</p> <p>Already anticipating the return Ashes series in 2027, the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced the venues where the five Tests will be played.</p> <p>- Lord’s Cricket Ground, London</p> <p>- The Oval, London</p> <p>- The Ageas Bowl, Southampton</p> <p>- Trent Bridge, Nottingham</p> <p>- Edgbaston, Birmingham</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Ageas Bowl in Southampton will host its first-ever Ashes Test in the next series in England in 2027.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>When is the next Ashes series being played?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The next Ashes series commences on November 21, 2025, with the first Test to be played at Perth’s Optus Stadium.&nbsp;</p> <p>The full five-Test series takes place in a short six-week window, commencing on November 21st and finishing on January 8, 2026.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>The Ashes 2025/26 Test Schedule:</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>- First Test: November 21st - 25th, Optus Stadium, Perth</p> <p>- Second Test: December 4th - 8th, The Gabba, Brisbane</p> <p>- Third Test: December 17th - 21st, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide</p> <p>- Fourth Test: December 26th - 30th, MCG, Melbourne</p> <p>- Fifth Test: January 4th - 8th, SCG, Sydney</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><br /> Now that you know about The Ashes, read up on <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/cricket/news/england-name-16-man-ashes-squad">England’s Ashes Squad</a> for the upcoming series. You can also read up and learn about which <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/cricket/news/test-hattrick-australia">Australians have taken a Test Hattrick </a>&amp; more on The Huddle.</p>