The Ashes

The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is international cricket's most celebrated rivalry and dates back to 1882.

The Ashes is one of the most fiercely contested competitions in cricket.The failure of England to regain the Ashes for 16 years from 1989, coupled with the global dominance of the Australian team, had dulled the lustre of the series in recent years throughout most of the cricketing world, although it has remained the most popular cricketing contest for Australians. However, the close results in the 2005 Ashes series, and the overall high quality and competitiveness of the cricket greatly boosted the popularity of the sport in Britain and considerably enhanced the profile of the Ashes around the world. Despite the lop-sided result of the 2006-07 Ashes series, which owed much to off-the-field pressures in the England camp, this popularity has endured, and England's win in the 2009 Ashes series will ensure much speculation and anticipation of the return in 2010–11.

Reference : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ashes