The Ashes 2025-26 was a five-match Test series between Australia and England played across Australia from November 21, 2025 to January 8, 2026. Australia won the series 4-1, retaining the urn with a dominant performance on home soil that continued the pattern of the away team struggling to compete in Ashes series in Australia. The series was contested at five of Australia’s premier cricket grounds: Perth Stadium, The Gabba in Brisbane, Adelaide Oval, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The Ashes is the oldest and most fiercely contested rivalry in international cricket, dating back to 1882 when Australia defeated England at The Oval and a mock obituary in The Sporting Times declared that English cricket had died and the ashes would be taken to Australia. The tiny terracotta urn that symbolises the contest remains at Lord’s regardless of who wins the series, but the cultural significance of Ashes cricket extends far beyond the trophy. For Australian and English cricket fans, an Ashes series is the one event that demands attention regardless of how the respective teams are performing in other competitions. Families plan holidays around it. Office conversations revolve around it. Friendships are tested by it.
Mitchell Starc was named Player of the Series with 31 wickets across the five Tests, confirming his status as one of the great left-arm pace bowlers in Ashes history. Starc’s ability to swing the new ball at pace and produce devastating yorkers under pressure made him the dominant force of the series, and his performances at Perth and Melbourne were decisive in Australia’s most emphatic victories. The Australian pace attack, operating on home surfaces that offered bounce and carry, was too much for an England batting lineup that struggled to adapt to the extra pace and movement available on Australian pitches.
For fans following from overseas, the Australian timezone created challenges and opportunities. The Perth Test started at 10:30 AWST (UTC+8), which translated to 02:30 GMT, a genuinely difficult slot for UK viewers. The Melbourne and Sydney Tests, played over the Christmas and New Year period, started at 10:30 AEDT (UTC+11), translating to 23:30 GMT the previous evening, which meant dedicated English fans could watch the opening session before midnight. The Adelaide day-night Test, played under lights with a pink ball, started at 15:00 ACDT (UTC+10:30), pushing the UK viewing window to 04:30 GMT.
The Ashes remains the series that defines careers. An Australian cricketer can win World Cups and ICC championships, but the question “How did they go in the Ashes?” carries a weight that no other fixture matches. The 2025-26 series reaffirmed Australia’s dominance on home soil and set the stage for the 2027 return series in England, where the away team will once again face the challenge of winning in conditions that favour the home side.