London, If size and appearance were all that mattered, cricket’s Ashes would be the world’s most ridiculous sports trophy. The burned remnants of either a cricket ball or part of a wicket — nobody is sure which — in a tiny Victorian urn, it resembles an unwise purchase from a junk shop.
Symbolism, though, counts for far more than dimensions or looks. When Australia play England in the first of five Test matches in Brisbane from Thursday, they resume a rivalry dating from 1877.
The last England team to win in Australia, in 1986-87, were described before the series started as having “only three faults — they can’t bat, they can’t bowl and they can’t field.” The 1958 England team, hailed as the strongest ever, went down, 4-0.
The 1958 result produced another tendency of series played in Australia.
They usually produce clear-cut outcomes. Of 22 series played in England in the last century, 14 have been drawn or won by a single match. Of the 22 in Australia, only five have been so close. In recent times, that has reflected Australian dominance, including a 5-0 sweep four years ago. But when England triumph, they also usually win big. Of seven winning England teams since 1904, only that of 1986-87, who won by 2-1, were held to a single-match margin.
Even though the five-match format is perfectly calculated to enable twists and fluctuations in fortune, momentum is crucial. Whoever emerges better from Brisbane, where Australia have not lost since 1988, will be favoured to take the series, and with it that weird but cherished prize.