The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, The Sporting Times, immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, its first Test win on English soil. The obituary stated that English cricket had died, and "the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia".

What is so special about Ashes?

There is no love lost between England and Australia, and the Ashes series is a great exhibition of Test match cricket where a full house is witnessed and every player is cheered for by the crowd. ... It is regarded as the test series which is going to lift Test cricket as it has been doing for all these years.

Why is the Ashes series so important in cricket?

Why are they called The Ashes? The story of the Ashes began way back in 1882 when England were beaten at home at the Oval for the first time by Australia. The series defeat shocked the sporting world at the time and prompted The Sporting Times newspaper to print a joke story on the 'death of English cricket'.