Australia vs England. It’s the oldest rivalry in cricket, which dates back to 1877.
Five years into the rivalry, a mock obituary gave birth to The Ashes. It’s one of the most competitive and celebrated bilateral series in Test cricket.
Every two years, Australia and England tour each other and contest to claim the ‘Urn’. Both teams have had their swipe at it for more than 140 years.
Here is a brief look at the winners of each Ashes edition contested since 1882.
The Ashes Winners List
| Season | Winner | Margin | Host |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83 | England | 2-1 (3) | Australia |
| 1884 | England | 1-0 (3) | England |
| 1884/85 | England | 3-2 (5) | Australia |
| 1886 | England | 3-0 (3) | England |
| 1886/87 | England | 2-0 (2) | Australia |
| 1887/88 | England | 1-0 (1) | Australia |
| 1888 | England | 2-1 (3) | England |
| 1890 | England | 2-0 (2) | England |
| 1891/92 | Australia | 2-1 (3) | Australia |
| 1893 | England | 1-0 (3) | England |
| 1894/95 | England | 3-2 (5) | Australia |
| 1896 | England | 2-1 (3) | England |
| 1897/98 | Australia | 4-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1899 | Australia | 1-0 (5) | England |
| 1901/02 | Australia | 4-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1902 | Australia | 2-1 (5) | England |
| 1903/04 | England | 3-2 (5) | Australia |
| 1905 | England | 2-0 (5) | England |
| 1907/08 | Australia | 4-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1909 | Australia | 2-1 (5) | England |
| 1911/12 | England | 4-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1912 | England | 1-0 (3) | England |
| 1920/21 | Australia | 5-0 (5) | Australia |
| 1921 | Australia | 3-0 (5) | England |
| 1924/25 | Australia | 4-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1926 | England | 1-0 (5) | England |
| 1928/29 | England | 4-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1930 | Australia | 2-1 (5) | England |
| 1932/33 | England | 4-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1934 | Australia | 2-1 (5) | England |
| 1936/37 | Australia | 3-2 (5) | Australia |
| 1938 | drawn | 1-1 (4) | England |
| 1946/47 | Australia | 3-0 (5) | Australia |
| 1948 | Australia | 4-0 (5) | England |
| 1950/51 | Australia | 4-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1953 | England | 1-0 (5) | England |
| 1954/55 | England | 3-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1956 | England | 2-1 (5) | England |
| 1958/59 | Australia | 4-0 (5) | Australia |
| 1961 | Australia | 2-1 (5) | England |
| 1962/63 | drawn | 1-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1964 | Australia | 1-0 (5) | England |
| 1965/66 | drawn | 1-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1968 | drawn | 1-1 (5) | England |
| 1970/71 | England | 2-0 (7) | Australia |
| 1972 | drawn | 2-2 (5) | England |
| 1974/75 | Australia | 4-1 (6) | Australia |
| 1975 | Australia | 1-0 (4) | England |
| 1977 | England | 3-0 (5) | England |
| 1978/79 | England | 5-1 (6) | Australia |
| 1981 | England | 3-1 (6) | England |
| 1982/83 | Australia | 2-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1985 | England | 3-1 (6) | England |
| 1986/87 | England | 2-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1989 | Australia | 4-0 (6) | England |
| 1990/91 | Australia | 3-0 (5) | Australia |
| 1993 | Australia | 4-1 (6) | England |
| 1994/95 | Australia | 3-1 (5) | Australia |
| 1997 | Australia | 3-2 (6) | England |
| 1998/99 | Australia | 3-1 (5) | Australia |
| 2001 | Australia | 4-1 (5) | England |
| 2002/03 | Australia | 4-1 (5) | Australia |
| 2005 | England | 2-1 (5) | England |
| 2006/07 | Australia | 5-0 (5) | Australia |
| 2009 | England | 2-1 (5) | England |
| 2010/11 | England | 3-1 (5) | Australia |
| 2013 | England | 3-0 (5) | England |
| 2013/14 | Australia | 5-0 (5) | Australia |
| 2015 | England | 3-2 (5) | England |
| 2017/18 | Australia | 4-0 (5) | Australia |
| 2019 | drawn | 2-2 (5) | England |
| 2021/22 | Australia | 4-0 (5) | Australia |
| 2023 | drawn | 2-2 (5) | England |
| 2025/26 | Australia | 4-1 (5) | Australia |
England’s Early Dominance in the 1880s
Hurt by the close loss at The Oval in August 1882 and the mock obituary of English cricket’s death, England were looking for immediate redemption. And the Englishmen led by Ivo Bligh just did that.
They travelled to Australia in late 1882 and returned home in early 1883 with the first-ever Ashes victory. The Englishmen reclaimed the lost Ashes.
England held the Ashes’ urn throughout the 1880s. They won all seven series contested in that decade, sort of healing the wounds of the 1882 Oval debacle.
Australia Fightback in the 1890s
The 1890s saw Australia challenge the founders of cricket. While England started the decade with a 2-0 sweep at home, Australia rolled them out in their backyard right after.
England then made a hat-trick of series victories between 1893 and 1896. Both teams fought hard in those three series. Australia, however, closed out the decade with two consecutive series wins.
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Australia Dominate in the First Half of the 20th Century
The Aussies continued from where they left off in the 1890s to dominate in the first half of the 20th century. And one of the reasons behind Australia’s dominance was one man – Donald Bradman.
Bradman was almost unstoppable with the bat from his debut in 1928 to 1948. And in this same period, the Ashes saw one of its biggest controversies unfold – the infamous 1932/33 bodyline series.
While England used deadly tactics to stop Bradman’s wrath in 1932/33, Australia dominated for the large part of the first half of the 20th century. The Aussies claimed seven Ashes victories to England’s seven.
Australia Continue their Run, England Crawl Back
The second half of the 20th century was a bit more competitive. This era saw Jim Laker’s record ten-for, Australia’s raw pace power, Ian Botham’s all-round heroics, and Shane Warne’s ‘Ball of the Century’.
The pendulum swung between Australia and England as the Ashes delivered these memorable moments. As the 20th century came to a close, Australia had established an invincible reign in this rivalry. The Aussies won 13 series, while England settled on nine victories.
Tough Fight in the 21st Century
Australia extended their reign into the early 2000s. But the 2005 Ashes saw a remarkable turnaround from England.
England fought hard on home turf to snap Australia’s 16-year Ashes dominance. As England regained the Urn by 2-1, the series went into the history books as one of the greatest.
Since that blockbuster series, the Ashes have been super competitive. Although Australia have staged a couple of whitewashes, England have had their miracles, similar to the 2019 Headingley victory.
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