England Travel to Australia Hunting Revenge – Excitement Builds for the Ashes
Seen by many as the most important event in the cricketing calendar, the Ashes is a 5-match Test series between England and Australia that dates all the way back to 1882. The series’ name emerged after Australia’s first Test victory on English soil, prompting a sports publication to publish a satirical obituary proclaiming that English cricket had died, with its body needing to be cremated and sent back to Australia as ashes. From that point on those invented ashes, conjured up by the written word, would be ferociously competed for by the two sides.
As dramatic as it now sounds, that humorous 19th Century headline spawned a momentous sporting event, loved by millions that is nowadays held at least once every two years. Beginning this December, the next instalment is set to take place in Australia, with the last series drawn 2-2 despite Ben Stokes’ Headingley heroics. As Australia were reigning champions at the time they retained the urn, meaning that England will travel to Australia needing to win the series to regain the Ashes.
Kicking off in Brisbane and ending up in Perth the sides will also play in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, with the usually crucial third test being played at the world-renowned Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The MCG is the largest sporting stadium in the Southern Hemisphere and the second biggest cricket ground in the world by capacity, holding an impressive 100,000 spectators. Opened in the 1850’s, it has hosted Olympic and Commonwealth Games, cricket World Cups, Australian Football League Grand Finals and of course many Ashes tests. Both sides will be hoping to be well poised with victory in their sights at this stage of the series, but Australia are sure to be favourites on home soil.
The series returns to England in 2023, with the same 5 stadiums being used that hosted in 2019. They are Headingley, Old Trafford, Edgbaston, The Oval and of course Lord’s. If it is the MCG that takes the pick when it comes to Australian cricket grounds, then it is surely Lord’s that is the most revered of the UK’s. Widely referred to as the ‘Home of Cricket’, Lord’s capacity of 30,000 is far smaller than that of its Australian counterpart, but its level of prestige and history is second to none.
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