The Ashes Championship History (Men’s)

The Ashes is a Test Cricket championship series and the oldest rivalry in cricket played only between Australia and England. Therefore, if one of these countries is the winner, the other one is the only runner-up. Therefore, it is meaningless for me to include a separate column here for the runner-ups. That should be obvious.

Year

Winner

Winning/Defending Captain

Player of the Series (Compton-Miller Medal)

Host Nation

2021-22
Australia
Patrick Cummins
Travis Head (AUS)
England
2019
Series drawn—Australia retains
Timothy Paine
Steven Smith (AUS) & Ben Stokes (ENG)
England
2017-18
Australia
Steven Smith
Steven Smith (AUS)
Australia
2015
England
Alastair Cook
Joseph Root (ENG) & Christopher Rogers (AUS)
England
2013-14 (second series)**
Australia
Michael Clarke
Mitchell Johnson (AUS)
Australia
2013 (first series)**
England
Alastair Cook
Ian Bell (ENG) & Ryan Harris (AUS)
England
2010-11
England
Andrew Strauss
Alastair Cook (ENG)
Australia
2009
England
Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss (ENG) & Michael Clarke (AUS)
England
2006-07
Australia
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Australia
2005
England
Michael Vaughan
Andrew Flintoff (ENG) & Shane Warne (AUS)
England
2002-03
Australia
Stephen Waugh
Michael Vaughan (ENG)
Australia
2001
Australia
Stephen Waugh/Adam Gilchrist
Glenn McGrath (AUS) & Mark Butcher (ENG)
England
1998-99
Australia
Mark Taylor
Stephen Waugh
Australia
1997
Australia
Mark Taylor
Glenn McGrath (AUS) & Graham Thorpe (ENG)
England
1994-95
Australia
Mark Taylor
Craig McDermott (AUS)
Australia
1993
Australia
Allan Border
Graham Gooch (ENG) & Shane Warne (AUS)
England
1990-91
Australia
Allan Border
Bruce Reid (AUS)
Australia
1989
Australia
Allan Border
Terry Alderman (AUS) & R.C. Jack Russell (ENG)
England
1986-87
England
Michael Gatting
N/A
Australia
1985
England
David Gower
N/A
England
1982-83
Australia
Gregory Chappell
N/A
Australia
1981
England
J. Michael Brearley
N/A
England
1978-79
England
J. Michael Brearley
N/A
Australia
1977
England
J. Michael Brearley
N/A
England
1975
Australia
Ian Chappell
N/A
England
1974-75
Australia
Ian Chappell
N/A
Australia
1972
Series drawn—England retains
Raymond Illingworth
N/A
England
1970-71
England
Raymond Illingworth
N/A
Australia
1968
Series drawn—Australia retains
William Lawry
N/A
England
1965-66
Series drawn—Australia retains
Robert Simpson/Brian Booth
N/A
Australia
1964
Australia
Robert Simpson
N/A
England
1962-63
Series drawn—Australia retains
Richard Benaud
N/A
Australia
1961
Australia
Richard Benaud
N/A
England
1958-59
Australia
Richard Benaud
N/A
Australia
1956
England
Peter May
N/A
England
1954-55
England
Leonard Hutton
N/A
Australia
1953
England
Leonard Hutton
N/A
England
1950-51
Australia
Arthur Hassett
N/A
Australia
1948
Australia
Donald Bradman
N/A
England
1946-47
Australia
Donald Bradman
N/A
Australia
1938
Series drawn—Australia retains
Donald Bradman
N/A
England
1936-37
Australia
Donald Bradman
N/A
Australia
1934
Australia
William Woodfull
N/A
England
1932-33
England
Douglas Jardine
N/A
Australia
1930
Australia
William Woodfull
N/A
England
1928-29
England
Arthur Chapman
N/A
Australia
1926
England
Arthur Carr
N/A
England
1924-25
Australia
Herbert Collins
N/A
Australia
1921
Australia
Warwick Armstrong
N/A
England
1920-21
Australia
Warwick Armstrong
N/A
Australia
1912
England
Charles Fry
N/A
England
1911-12
England
Pelham Warner
N/A
Australia
1909
Australia
Montague Noble
N/A
England
1907-08
Australia
Montague Noble
N/A
Australia
1905
England
Stanley Jackson
N/A
England
1903-04
England
Pelham Warner
N/A
Australia
1902
Australia
Joseph Darling
N/A
England
1901-02
Australia
Joseph Darling
N/A
Australia
1899
Australia
Joseph Darling
N/A
England
1897-98
Australia
Harry Trott
N/A
Australia
1896
England
William Grace
N/A
England
1894-95
England
Andrew Stoddart
N/A
Australia
1893
England
Andrew Stoddart
N/A
England
1891-92
Australia
Jack Blackham
N/A
Australia
1890
England
William Grace
N/A
England
1888
England
Allan Steel
N/A
England
1887-88
England
Walter Read
N/A
Australia
1886-87
England
Arthur Shrewsbury
N/A
Australia
1886
England
Allan Steel
N/A
England
1884-85
England
Arthur Shrewsbury
N/A
Australia
1884
England
Albert Hornby/George Harris
N/A
England
1882-83
England
Ivo Bligh
N/A
Australia

*The “Player of the Series” award was only introduced at the 1989 Ashes series. Thus, there are no award recipients in years prior to 1989. Leading from this year and up until 2005, this award was given to the best player in the series from each side (i.e. winning and losing). However, with the introduction in 2005 of the “Compton-Miller Medal,” named after Denis Compton of England and Keith Miller of Australia, this medal has been awarded to the winning team’s “Player of the Series” ever since. Thus, although two players may continue to be named as “Player of the Series” on or after 2005, only the winning team’s “Player of the Series” wins the Compton-Miller medal.

**In 2013, two Ashes series were held, with one spilling over into January 2014, to make up for the fact that the series was missed in 2012. One was held in England while the other was held in Australia.