• Australia and England meet in epic five Test contest

• Ed Hawkins provides all the information on when and where to watch

• Ground guides for all five venues and pitch stats

• The key players to watch out for

• Team strengths and weaknesses

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What is The Ashes?

Australia and England meet in a highly-anticipated five-Test series, starting from November 21. It is world cricket's most famous rivalry. Every two years the two teams meet, alternating as hosts. 

The name of the series originates from a satirical obituary published in The Sporting Times in 1882 when England suffered a surprise defeat by Australia at home. It read: "In affectionate remembrance of English cricket, which died at The Oval on 29 August 1882...the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia".

In the return series later that year, the contest was billed as England's quest to regain the Ashes. When England won, the team was presented with a small terracotta urn which is said to hold the ashes of a bail. Ever since, the two teams have met to claim that they 'hold' the Ashes. The winning captain is presented with a replica. The original urn is in the MCC Museum in London. The team that doesn't hold the Ashes has to win a series to claim bragging rights. A drawn series is enough for the holder to retain the Ashes.

Despite the hype, Ashes series can be one-sided, particularly in Australia. England have won twice since 1986 Down Under and have won only three of their last 25 Tests in the country. Australia currently hold the urn, having drawn 2-2 with England in 2023 and thrahsed their rivals 4-0 in 2021.

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When is The Ashes and how can I watch?

The first Test starts in Perth in the early hours of November 21, with the toss scheduled for 02.00 and the match beginning at 02.30. All Tests will be televised live on TNT

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Where are the matches played?

• First Test November 21-25 - Optus Stadium, Perth
• Second Test December 4-8 - The Gabba, Brisbane
• Third Test December 17-21 - Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
• Fourth Test December 26-30 - MCG, Melbourne
• Fifth Test January 4-8 - SCG, Sydney

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What are the grounds like?

Perth, first Test - Optus Stadium stats and trends 

• There have been only five tests played at the Optus Stadium
• The average first-innings score is 395
• The first-innings average runs per wicket is 34.9
• The fourth-innings average runs per wicket is 19.4
• The average runs per wicket for all innings is 30
• Australia have won four of the five Tests

Traditionally the teams go to Perth for the third Test. But this year the most isolated city in the world will host the first Test of the series. It has often felt a lonely and humbling place for England and their fans. Although they have never played at this venue, they had a horrible record at the famous WACA ground, losing 10 of their 13 tests and winning only once. This was thought to be due to the fast and bouncy nature of the wicket

They may fare better at the Optus. The wicket is not like the WACA version and Australia suffered a shock loss to India in the last Test played there by a massive 295 runs. India amassed 487 for six declared in the third innings, suggesting Australia's quicks couldn't find any venom in a surface to make Indian batters, who would have found conditions as alien as England's in the past, hop around.

Brisbane, second Test - The Gabba stats and trends 

• There has been one draw in the last 10
• The first-innings average runs per wicket is 32.9
• The fourth-innings average runs per wicket is 36.1
• Australia have lost only twice at the Gabba since 1987
• The laverage first-innings score in the last 10 is 327

The Gabba is considered Australia's fortress. But this Test will be a day-night contest, rendering much of the previous form irrelevant. The pink ball under lights in Queensland could make for a bowler-dominated contest. Mitchell Starc, the best pink-ball bowler in the world, will be looking forward to this one.

Under lights, the pink ball can move through the air and off the seam more. This makes for contrasting cricket. When the lights are not on in the early part of the match, batters have an opportunity for runs. But when dusk starts to fall and the floddlights are switched on batting can become more difficult. Don't be surprised to see captains timing declarations to potentially make use of conditions. 

In the last Ashes Test at the venue, England were thrashed by nine wickets. Rory Burns was bowled from the first ball of the series, setting the tone. Travis Head made a first-innings century and Joe Root a second-innings half-century. 

Adelaide, third Test - Adelaide Oval stats and trends 

• There have been only three draws in the last seven day Tests
• England won by an innings there in 2010
• The first-innings average runs per wicket in day Tests is 44.8
• The fourth-innings average runs per wicket in day Tests is 30.2

Adelaide has been the go-to venue for day-night Tests in Australia so the formguide needs to be adjusted. Unfortunately there have only been two 'normal' day Tests in the last 10 years, in 2018 and 2024. Before the floodlit matches it had the reputation for being a road but those two games proved that was unfounded. They were both low-scoring.

India beat Australia by 31 runs with their 307 in the third-innings the highest score of the match. And last year, Australia beat West Indies by 10 wickets with the tourists managing 188 and 120 and Australia 283. Josh Hazlewood took nine wickets in the match. Travis Head, on his home ground, scored a century in first-innings.

Melbourne, fourth Test - The MCG stats and trends 

• There has been one drawn Test at the MCG in the last ten
• The first-innings average runs per wicket is 40.3
• The fourth-innings average runs per wicket is 24.4
• Australia have won seven of the last ten

An Ashes Test on Boxing Day at the MCG is Australian heaven. There are few more important days in the calendar over four years for those Down Under. There could be an attendance of close to 90,000 for the first day.

Melbourne does offer potentially English-freindly conditions, such as seam and swing. This has meant that it has been England's second-most successful venue in Australia historiclly in terms of win ratio. Whether England are a team these days who can utilise (or counter with the bat) ia moving ball is the key point. 

Steve Smith has a sensational record at the 'G. In 20 innings he has five centuries and five half-centuries, averaging 78. Pat Cummins has 41 wickets in eight.

Sydney, fifth Test - Sydney Cricket Ground stats and trends

• Australia have not lost in the last ten at the SCG
• There have been five draws in the last ten
• The first-innings average runs per wicket is 46.1
• The fourth-innings average runs per wicket is 32.7

If the series is still alive for the fifth Test, Australia may reckon they have the edge. In Nathan Lyon they have the one world-class spinner in the series and the SCG is a venue which has been known to take significant spin. Three of the top four in the all-time wicket-takers list at the ground are spinners. And one of them is Lyon. 

In terms of win-loss ratio, this is England's most likely venue to win a Test. But that has much to do with a series so often being over before they get there. And they don't boast a spin threat. Will Jacks is a surprise inclusion in the squad and it would be a surprise if he didn't play here alongside Shoaib Bashir. 

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Australia v England head-to-head records in Australia

2021 Australia 4 England 0

2017 Australia 4 England 0

2013 Australia 5 England 0

2010 Australia 1 England 3

2006 Australia 5 England 0

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What are the squads?

Australia

Captain: Pat Cummins

Batters: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, matt renshaw

Wicketkeeper: Alex Carey

All-rounders: Cameron Green, Beau Webster

Bowlers: Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

*Australia squad to be confirmed

England

Captain: Ben Stokes

Batters: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell

Wicketkeeper: Jamie Smith

All-rounder: Will Jacks

Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir, Matt Potts, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson

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What are the strengths and weaknesses of the teams?

Australia

A formidable outfit at home. They have lost just one of their last nine home series. Rarer still is a home Ashes defeat. England have won in 1986-87 and 2010-11. They have only won five post-War. Indeed, there is always an expectation that a hammering is dished out to the old enemy. Four of the last five home Ashes series for Australia have been won to nil. 

But this is not a vintage Australia outfit. So often settled and assured, the hosts are unclear about their best batting combination. Usman Khawaja is a shoo-in to start the series as opener but his form has been poor while who partners him is up for debate. Sam Konstas, a young thruster, doesn't appear to have the technique to cope. 

The big problem, though, is the fitness of captain Pat Cummins. A major doubt for the first Test, Australia may be unclear about the sort of pitches to produce without their captain. Batting wickets, traditionally, have exhausted English bowlers and they have wilted under the pressure of runs. If Cummins was fit, they would reckon their bowling group had more skill to do damage on flatter pitches. But if they opt for seamer-friendly surfaces, their batters could be exposed.

What the hosts do boast is an extraordinary will to win and a population who are obsessed with getting under the skins of the Poms. If Australia get their noses in front touring becomes very ucnofortable for the English.

England

England know only one to play: attack-attack-attack. Every team they play against they give a chance to. They claim they are happy to do so because they are entertainers. Others see it as a reckless cop out. Under the Bazball moiniker, it seems like the style has won them as many as they have lost.

It is most evident in the way they bat. High scoring rates are designed to put other teams under pressure. It worked, to an extent, against Australia in their home Ashes series two years ago when they roared back from 2-0 down. By the end of the series Australia had no answer to England's vigour and but for persistent rain in game four in Old Trafford, it would be England who hold the urn.

In a bid to improve their horrible record in Australia, England have picked a bowling group which boasts pace and bounce. Their brains trust believe a battery of fast bowlers can get the job done on often unresponsive pitches and a Kookaburra ball that offers minimal seam and swing. They are likely to rotate Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood and Brydon Carse as their first-choice options. Archer and Wood may play the first Test together and then maybe return for the third and fifth Tests.

Like Australia, England also have fitness concerns over their captain, Ben Stokes. Stokes is coming back from an injury and it would be a surprise if his body held up for all five.

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Who are the players to watch?

Marnus Labuschagne - Australia

Home fears about their batting could be allayed by a return for Marnus Labuschagne. The right-hander has four centuries in five domestic matches this season. He could have rediscovered his form at exactly the right time. Labuschagne is an obsessive and leaves no stone unturned in the quest for runs. That allied with a, shall we say, hyper personality has meant that he is not everyone's cup of tea and he was always going to come in for criticism when he had a bad run. Dropped for the tour of West Indies he has scored the weight of runs that mean he should come back in at No 3, or potentially opener. His Test average of 46 means England will not be pleased to see him.

Beau Webster - Australia

With Cameron Green nursing a side injury, Webster looks likely to be Australia's all-rounder. That means he goes to head-to-head against his opposite number, Ben Stokes. It is, of course, not a fair fight. Stokes is established as one of the great clutch all-rounders, Webster has played just seven Tests. Australia don't need him to match Stokes with bat and ball but he has to be worth his spot in the team. England are likely to attack his bowling and test him out with the short ball. If Webster stays fit, pinches useful wickets and delays England's entrance to the Aussie tail then he would have had a good series. 

Jofra Archer - England

It feels like Archer's whole career has been building towards winning England an Ashes series Down Under. His effortless pace and bounce terrified opposition batsmen as soon as he made his Test debut in 2019. He was immediately earmarked as the bowler who could make the difference on flat pitches. However, he has only played 15 Tests in six years due to injury after injury, not helped by England bowling him into the ground when he has played. If Archer stays fit (and he won't play all five), he should be the quickest and most dangerous pacer on either side. 

Jacob Bethell - England

Jacob Bethell has been fast-tracked into the England team despite never having made a first-class century. He has captained England in a white-ball series and been treated as if he is the Second Coming. When he bats well, it makes sense. But with England seemingly desperate to get him into their XI, there is precious little evidence he has the temperament or technique to cope in an Ashes cauldron. likely to bat at no 3, Bethell has to dig in and reward the selectors' faith. Otherwise they are going to be under huge pressure early on.

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What are the Ashes odds?

Series winner

Australia	4/61.67
England	17/102.70
Draw	15/28.50

Series corect score

Australia 4-1	5/16.00
Australia 5-0	11/26.50
Australia 3-1	6/17.00
Australia 3-2	13/27.50
Australia 4-0	15/28.50
Draw 2-2	17/29.50
England 3-2	17/29.50
England 3-1	12/113.00
England 4-1	14/115.00
Australia 2-1	16/117.00
Australia 3-0	17/118.00
England 2-1	18/119.00

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