Australia vs England Cricket Stats: Head-to-Head Records
The Ashes rivalry stretches back to 1882, making it the most storied contest in Test cricket. Whether you’re checking the scorecard from the latest series or wondering why the number 87 carries peculiar weight in Australian cricket circles, the head-to-head record tells a story of dominance, drought, and the occasional shocking upset. Australia holds a clear historical edge — but the numbers reveal more nuance than a simple win-loss tally.
Recent Ashes Result: Australia 4-1 · Head-to-Head Format: Test Cricket · Dominant Team: Australia
Quick snapshot
- Australia won 156 of 366 Ashes Tests (Cricket Stats)
- Australia leads series count 34–32 with 7 draws (Wikipedia)
- 2025/26 Ashes: Australia 4–1 victory (Flashscore)
- Exact scheduling for any 2027–28 Ashes tour remains unconfirmed
- Full individual match attendance figures not yet publicly released for 2025/26 series
- Long-term impact of Harry Brook’s 920-run 2025/26 haul on future selection strategy
- Series began Perth, late November 2025; concludes 2026
- Australia’s last away series win came in 2001 — a 22-year drought on English soil
- England won the 2023 Ashes 2–2, retaining urn on home soil
- Attention turns to England’s 2026 tour preparation on Australian soil
- Harry Brook and Ben Duckett established as cornerstone players with 920 and 846 runs respectively
- Australia unbeaten at home for over a decade — England faces long road back
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | Test Cricket |
| Dominant Team in Ashes | Australia |
| Latest Series Winner | Australia 4–1 |
| Nelson Score | 87 (Unlucky) |
| Total Ashes Tests | 366 |
| Australia Wins (Tests) | 156 (42.6%) |
| England Wins (Tests) | 113 (30.9%) |
| Draws | 97 |
| Series Won by Australia | 34 |
| Series Won by England | 32 |
Who is more successful in Ashes?
Australia holds the stronger hand in the Ashes, though the margin is narrower than many assume. Across 366 Test matches dating back to 1882, Australia has won 156 (42.6%) compared to England’s 113 victories (30.9%), with 97 draws filling the gaps between those moments of dominance. The series-count picture tells a similar story: Australia has claimed 34 Ashes series against England’s 32, with seven ending in draws where Australia retained the urn six times. Wikipedia documents this historical record in detail.
Overall series wins
The raw series tally of 34–32 in Australia’s favor understates the gap when you factor in venue splits. At home, Australia wins more than half its Ashes Tests (52.3% success rate), while England manages only 30.1% on Australian soil. Radio Times breaks down this home advantage. England’s last series victory on Australian soil came in 2001 — a drought now spanning over two decades. The one exception where England retained the Ashes after a drawn series was 1972–73, making that anomaly even more notable.
Test match victories
Both teams have produced dominant whitewash victories. Australia has achieved the only 5–0 clean sweeps in Ashes history, accomplishing the feat in 1920–21, 2006–07, and 2013–14. Flashscore confirms Australia remains the only team to have completed a 5–0 Ashes whitewash. England’s largest winning margin was a 5–1 result in 1978–79. The 1948 Australian side earned the “Invincibles” tag precisely because they won every match on English soil.
Player records comparison
Donald Bradman’s 5,028 Test runs against England across 37 matches established a standard that decades of Australian batsmen have chased. Cricket Stats records his mark. With the ball, Shane Warne’s 195 wickets against England across 36 matches stands as the highest tally for an Australian bowler in Ashes history. Among modern players, Steve Smith has amassed 3,000+ runs in 41+ Ashes Tests, while Harry Brook’s 920 runs at 54.12 in the 2025/26 series marks him as England’s new cornerstone. Tapmad documents these recent performances.
Who won the 5th test?
Australia clinched the 2025/26 Ashes series 4–1 after the fifth Test wrapped in early January 2026. The final match at the Sydney Cricket Ground ran from January 4–8, 2026, with Australia winning by 5 wickets. Flashscore confirms the series outcome and match result.
Match scorecard details
Across the five Tests, the pattern was clear: Australia won the early exchanges and England’s sole victory came at Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26–30, 2025) by 4 wickets. Cricket Stats has the full scorecard breakdowns. Australia’s other wins came by 82 runs at Adelaide Oval (December 17–21) and by 5 wickets at Sydney. The series margin reflects genuine Australian superiority, not close margins — three of the four wins came with relative comfort.
Key performers
Harry Brook’s 920 runs in 10 matches at 54.12 kept England competitive throughout. Ben Duckett’s 846 runs at 47 average provided solid support at the top of the order. Tapmad documents these figures. For Australia, the familiar pattern of strong bowling and clutch batting in pressure moments proved decisive — the same formula that has sustained their home dominance for over a decade.
Series impact
The 4–1 result extended Australia’s unbeaten home streak beyond ten years. For England, the loss means the wait for an Australian-series win continues. England’s 2023 home series draw (2–2) remains their best recent result against the Baggy Greens. Radio Times frames the broader historical context.
What time does the 3rd Ashes test start?
The third Ashes Test of the 2025/26 series began in late December 2025, with Australia winning at Adelaide Oval from December 17–21 by 82 runs. Cricket Stats records the venue, dates, and margin. Session times typically run Australian local time (AEST/ACST depending on state) with day/night provisions for pink-ball Tests.
Session times
Australian Ashes Tests follow a standard session structure: play begins at 10:30 AM local time, with a lunch break around 12:30 PM and tea at 3:30 PM, concluding typically by 6:00 PM. Day-night Tests under lights shift the schedule to accommodate the pink ball’s visibility, with starts at 2:00 PM and close near 8:30 PM.
Venue details
Adelaide Oval hosted the third Test, known for its evening atmosphere and reliable batting pitches. The ground’s compact size and partisan crowd create a distinct home advantage compared to the larger MCG or SCG.
Broadcast info
Coverage in Australia runs through major sports broadcasters with streaming options for international viewers. UK audiences typically access matches through sports subscription services with dedicated commentary teams.
What time does the 4th Ashes Test match start?
The fourth Test of the 2025/26 series took place at Melbourne Cricket Ground from December 26–30, 2025 — the traditional Boxing Day Test slot. Flashscore confirms the dates and venue. England won this match by 4 wickets, giving them their only series victory.
Schedule and sessions
Boxing Day Test scheduling follows Australian tradition: play starts at 10:30 AM AEDT on December 26, with the MCG typically drawing crowds exceeding 80,000 on the opening day. The session structure follows the same pattern as other Australian venues.
2025-26 series context
The MCG result was England’s standout moment in an otherwise difficult series. The 4-wicket win proved England could compete but also reinforced that translating home comfort to Australian conditions remains their central challenge. Cricket Stats records the match details.
Why is 87 unlucky for Australia cricket?
The number 87 haunts Australian cricket through a quirk of cricket scoring language: in the sport, a score of 111 runs is called “a Nelson” (after Admiral Nelson, with 111 representing one-one-one, referencing his wounds). A score of 222 is “double Nelson.” However, 87 falls one short of a “century” (100) and sits awkwardly in the scoring pattern — it cannot form any meaningful cricket compound. Wikipedia traces how the superstition developed.
Nelson superstition explained
The Nelson tradition holds that scores ending in 111 (single Nelson) or 222 (double Nelson) bring good fortune. Conversely, 87 is considered unlucky because it cannot be a century (100) nor form a partial Nelson — it sits in an uncomfortable numerical no-man’s-land. The superstition gained particular traction after various Australian collapses to 87 over the years.
Historical examples
Australian cricket history contains several instances where the team collapsed to 87 or saw key dismissals at that score, cementing the number’s reputation. The superstitious significance is cultural rather than statistical, but the pattern has been noted and referenced by commentators, players, and fans for decades. Leonard Hutton’s record 364 at The Oval in 1938 stands far above these anxieties, but for Australian players, 87 remains the number that prompts a wince.
Australia holds the Ashes for approximately 87 cumulative years — and 87 remains the number that won’t become a Nelson. The symmetry is coincidental, but the Baggy Greens have more concrete reasons for their historical edge.
Understanding the Ashes record requires separating formats. Australia dominates in Test cricket (34 series wins vs 32), leads 156–113 in match wins, and has won at home for over a decade. But T20I cricket shows the teams are evenly matched at 12 wins each — suggesting England’s recent limited-overs investments are paying off despite their Test struggles.
Australia vs England: Head-to-head by format
Three hundred sixty-six Ashes Tests tell one story, but format-switching reveals different dynamics. The rivalry’s character shifts dramatically between formats, with Australia’s red-ball dominance contrasting sharply against white-ball competitiveness.
| Format | Australia Wins | England Wins | Draws/Ties | Australia Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test (Ashes) | 156 | 113 | 97 | 42.6% |
| ODI | 92 of 162 | 65 of 162 | 5 ties | 56.8% |
| T20I | 12 of 26 | 12 of 26 | 2 ties | 46.2% |
Australia’s ODI record (56.8% win rate) reflects their historical strength in one-day cricket, built across multiple World Cup triumphs. Cricket Stats provides the breakdown. T20I cricket shows genuine parity: 12 wins each with 2 ties from 26 matches. England’s investment in white-ball cricket since their 2019 World Cup win has narrowed what was once a significant Australian advantage.
Landmark moments in Ashes history
Beyond the win-loss columns, certain moments define the Ashes as more than a sporting contest. These are the matches and innings that shaped the rivalry’s mythology and live in collective memory across both nations.
- 1938: Leonard Hutton’s 364 — The record for most runs in an Ashes innings, set at The Oval, remains unmatched. Flashscore documents this landmark.
- 1948: The Invincibles — Don Bradman’s final tour saw Australia win every match on English soil, cementing the “Invincibles” tag and setting a standard for touring dominance.
- 1981: Ian Botham’s all-round heroics — Botham scored 1,000+ runs and took 100+ wickets across 35+ matches in the 1981 series, turning individual excellence into series-defining moments.
- 2006–07: Australia’s 5–0 whitewash — Perhaps the most dominant Ashes performance in modern era, with Ponting’s team dismantling England across all five venues.
- 2023: The 2–2 draw with Australia retaining — England’s fightback at Headingley and The Oval showed growth, but the urn stayed in Australia.
Australia’s consecutive eight-series winning streak from 1989 represents their most dominant era against England — but those wins came during England’s weakest Test period in decades. Context matters when reading the historical record.
Upsides
- Australia has won 34 Ashes series — the most for either side
- Home record of 52.3% win rate gives Australia structural advantage
- Donald Bradman and Shane Warne records unlikely to be matched soon
- Current 4–1 result reflects genuine on-field superiority
- ODI and T20I investment keeps Australia competitive across formats
Downsides
- Last series win on English soil came in 2001 — 22+ year drought
- Harry Brook’s 920-run 2025/26 haul signals English resurgence
- Test cricket viewership challenged by T20 competition globally
- England’s 2023 home draw showed they can compete when conditions suit
- Draw rate of 26.5% in Ashes Tests frustrates decisive narratives
The intense Ashes rivalry between Australia and England gains deeper context through the England-Australia head-to-head stats, highlighting key Test wins and player milestones across eras.
Frequently asked questions
Who hit 1000 runs in one match?
No player has scored 1,000 runs in a single Test match in cricket history. The closest approximations include Donald Bradman’s 974 runs in the 1930 Leeds Test, and Brian Lara’s 400 not out remains the highest individual Test score. The closest to 1,000 runs in any format came in domestic cricket or historical records, but the achievement remains beyond cricket’s physical limits given innings length and opposing quality.
Who took 4 wickets in 4 balls?
Multiple bowlers have achieved the feat of taking four wickets in four consecutive deliveries in cricket history. In Test cricket, this rare feat has occurred a handful of times, including Australian bowlers and notable opponents. The achievement requires extreme precision and often comes in context of specific match situations where batsmen are playing aggressively. ESPNcricinfo maintains records of allInstances of hat-tricks (three balls) and the rarer four-in-four sequence.
Which Australian cricketer has a husband and wife?
Australian cricket has seen several player couples, where both partners have represented Australia at international level. The most prominent include (players who are/were married to each other and played for Australian national teams across different eras). These relationships are relatively rare given the physical demands of international cricket and the challenges of maintaining dual careers across different countries. Cricket Australia maintains family records, though not all couples are publicly documented.
Who scored 400 runs in a Test?
Brian Lara holds the record for the highest individual Test score, having scored 400 not out for West Indies against England in 1994. No Australian has reached 400 in Test cricket, though Don Bradman’s 304 at Leeds in 1930 remains the highest by an Australian. The 400-run mark has been achieved only twice in Test history (Lara 400*, and before him, WG Grace’s era-contested scores in first-class cricket).
Who is the greatest English cricketer of all time?
Sir Ian Botham, Sir Garfield Sobers (though West Indian), and Sir Vivian Richards are frequently cited among cricket’s all-time greats. For England specifically, Botham’s 1981 Ashes performances and Sir Ian Trott’s statistical achievements make them central to any greatest-ever debate. The question is genuinely contested, with different eras favoring different metrics.
Australia vs England head-to-head in ODI?
In ODI cricket, Australia has won 92 of 162 matches (56.8%), compared to England’s 65 wins (40.1%), with 5 ties. Cricket Stats provides the full breakdown. The ODI rivalry includes World Cup finals meetings and Champions Trophy encounters that go beyond simple head-to-head percentages.
What are Australia vs England live scores?
Live scores for ongoing matches are available through ESPNcricinfo, Cricket Australia’s official site, and BBC Sport. Score aggregation services update in near real-time, though the specific 2025/26 Ashes series has concluded with Australia winning 4–1. Future fixtures will be published as touring schedules are confirmed.
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