The Wisden on the Ashes: The authoritative story of cricket’s greatest rivalry
is a detailed chronological journey through the history of this famous
English–Australian contest. With Test reports, scorecards, “Great
bowlers of the year” and other fascinating material from the archives,
together with new editorial pieces, this is a remarkable record of
cricket’s most enduring battle.
The book begins its journey with
England’s first tour of Australia in 1876 and the subsequent three
series prior to the 1882 tour that led to a mock obituary being placed
in the Sporting Times “In affectionate remembrance of English
cricket, which died at The Oval on 29th August, 1882. ... The body will
be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.” Celebrating the players
who made their mark on the game and the controversies that shook the
sport, the book covers every series since then through to the most
recent series. In 2005 England won a highly competitive series that
helped raise the popularity of the sport, and 2009 sees a
much-anticipated series back on UK soil, with England looking to regain
the Ashes after Australia’s victory in the 2006–07 series. Beautifully produced, this book will be a welcome addition to
all cricket enthusiasts’ collections, as well as an ideal gift
purchase.