What: The Ashes
This is a series of Test matches played between England and Australia. It is usually held every two years, with the two countries taking turns to host it. It normally comprises at least five, sometimes six, five-day matches. It has been held 70 times since England hosted the first series – this one being a one-off match – in 1882.
When: August-September
The first of five Tests to be held in this year's edition will get under way on August 1 at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The last day of the final Test is scheduled to be held on September 16 at the Oval, London.
Where: England
The series will be held in five stadiums across four cities: Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord's (London), Headingley (Leeds), Old Trafford (Manchester) and the Oval (London).
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13 weird and wonderful trophies in sport
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You are looking at a tiny urn being held by captain Steve Smith, left, and vice-captain David Warner after Australia beat England in a five-match cricket Test series in 2017. It is a replica of the actual urn which supposedly holds the ashes of a burnt cricket bail, which was presented to England captain Ivo Bligh as a personal gift after a friendly match during the 1882/83 tour in Australia. The replica is handed to the winner of this Test series usually held every two years between the game's traditional rivals. Getty Images -
The Ashes is not the only unconventional-looking trophy given out in cricket. The Warne-Muralitharan Trophy, named after former Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne and former Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (and hence the sculptures of two hands giving the cricket ball a good rip), is presented to the winner of a Test series between these two teams. AFP -
Closer to home, the winner of the annual Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament gets to pose with the 'Dallah', which means coffee pot in Arabic. This makes sense as the Arabia coffee is a staple drink in these parts. Bryson Dechambeau is the current owner of the Dallah, having won the title in 2019. AFP -
The Castello Masters, which was an European Tour golf tournament played annually between 2008 and 2011in Spain, dished out a strange-looking figurine giving the 'thumbs up'. Getty Images -
The trophy given out at the Manulife LPGA Classic, held every year in Ontario, Canada, in an odd one because it looks like an Easter egg. Getty Images -
Coming back to the UAE, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships trophy is a lovely piece of silverware in the shape of a boat (after all, Dubai is a port city so this makes perfect sense). It is currently in Roger Federer's possession after the former world No 1 won his 100th career title in the emirate this year. EPA -
Sticking with tennis, what you see in Simona Halep's hands is the Madrid Open trophy. It is in the shape of a staff with small racquets coming out of the it and which includes names of some of the greats to have graced the game, including Roger Federer and Serena Williams. Getty Images -
The Hamburg Open gave out a very strange-looking trophy this year. Getty Images -
The Stanley Cup, given to the winners of the North American ice hockey league champions, has to be one of the biggest trophies across sport. Hockey players are known to be a tough lot, and they also look big and strong enough to be able to hold that beast of a trophy up high (unless it's adrenaline). Reuters -
The Commissioner's Trophy, given to the annual World Series Baseball champions, is peculiar-looking in that it contains flags representing each team in North America's top two leagues - the National League and the American League. Getty Images -
If you are a Nascar driver competing in the Nascar Cup Series and you win the race at the Martinsville Speedway, you are probably going to need a big house. Because the winner ends up getting the 'Grandfather Clock' trophy, which is a prize that has been around for more than six decades. Wins elsewhere in this circuit can earn you all kinds of trophies - from live lobsters to gladiator swords. But the Grandfather Clock has to be special. AFP -
If you think some of the trophies already listed in this photo gallery can cause physical harm, take a look at the Paul Bunyan Axe trophy. Yes, it is in the shape of an axe and given to the winners of the college football fixture between arch-rivals, the Wisconsin Badgers and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Handed out for the first time in 1948 before it became a tradition, the axe is named after a giant lumberback in American folklore named Paul Bunyan. At the end of the game, if the team already holding the trophy won, they would run to their own sideline, take the axe and carry it around the field and 'chop down' one or both goal posts. If the team not holding the axe won, they could run to their opponents' sideline and 'steal' the axe. AFP -
The Golden Slipper Stakes is a prestigious Group 1 turf race for two-year-old thoroughbreds run over 1,200 metres and held in Sydney. Which makes it a bit strange for the winner to receive the Golden Slipper for a trophy. Getty Images
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A brief history:
England and Australia are cricket's traditional rivals. They have played 346 Tests against each other since 1877, with England winning 108 times and Australia 144. They have drawn on 94 occasions.
Although they played their first ever Test at Melbourne in March 1877, the Ashes series kicked off with a solitary Test at the Oval in London in December 1882.
After England's defeat in that game, a mock obituary appeared in the Sporting Times newspaper declaring the death of English cricket. "The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia," the obit read, inspiring captain Ivo Bligh to make the pledge to bring the "Ashes" home from Australia after the return series.
While Australia have won more Tests than England, the series head-to-head is much closer, at 33-32 to Australia, with five series having been drawn.
However, it should be noted that while Australia are holders of the urn – by virtue of having won it at home in 2017 – England have won five of the last eight series and not lost at home since 2001.
Captains:
England: Joe Root
Australia: Tim Paine
Squads:
England: Joe Root, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
Australia: Tim Paine, Cameron Bancroft, Patrick Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.
The schedule (all UAE times):
1st Test: August 1-5, 2pm start, Edgbaston
2nd Test: August 14-18, 2pm start, Lord's
3rd Test: August 22-26, 2pm start, Headingley
4th Test: September 4-8, 2pm start, Old Trafford
5th Test: September 12-16, 2pm start, the Oval
How can I watch on TV in the UAE?
All the matches will be shown on BeIN Sports.
