It was actually a defeat that gave birth to the Ashes. It was at the Oval on 29th August, 1882 that England lost to Australia for the first time on English soil. The one-off Test at Oval was one of the most fascinating matches of all times, which ended with a seven-run defeat of England. The shocking defeat inspired a young journalist Reginald Shirley Brook to write a mock obituary of English cricket in a London newspaper The Sporting Times.

“In affectionate remembrance of English cricket which died at The Oval, 29th August, 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances, RIP. NB —  The body will be cremated and the Ashes taken to Australia,”

he wrote.

Three weeks after the famous defeat Hon. Ivo Bligh, afterwards Lord Darnley, led the English team to Australia with a mission to reclaim the Ashes.He promised that he would regain “the ashes” on the tour to Australia in 1882–83.Though England lost the first Test by nine wickets, they went on to win the next two of the three-Test series.

It is generally believed that a group of Victorian ladies, including Florence Morphy (who later married Ivo Bligh), gave a small terracotta urn as a present to Ivo Bligh after a private cricket match was played over Christmas in 1882. The English team were guests of Sir William Clarke at his property “Rupertswood”, in Sunbury, Victoria. This was before the three Test matches were played.

During the tour of Australia in 2006/7, the MCC official accompanying the urn confirmed that the urn contains the ashes of a cricket bail. The terracotta urn is about six inches tall and originally could have been a perfume jar.

Florence, widow of Ivo Bligh, gave the urn to MCC after his death in 1927. The historic urn can be seen in the cricket museum at Lord’s along with the scorecard of the 1882 match at the Oval.

The text on the urn is as follows:-

When Ivo goes back with the urn, the urn;
Studds, Steel, Read and Tylecote return, return;
The welkin will ring loud,
The great crowd will feel proud,
Seeing Barlow and Bates with the urn, the urn;
And the rest coming home with the urn.

However, the Ashes — the most famous traditional rivalry in cricket — is a concept that actually dates back from 1903, when English captain Pelham Warner led a team to Australia with the promise that he would regain “the ashes”, in a manner similar to Hon. Ivo Bligh back in 1882.

Warner’s promise caught the imagination of Australian media, which latched onto the term, and, this time it stuck. However, the term “The Ashes” first found mention in the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack only in 1905, while the Wisden’s first account of it was included only in the 1922 edition.

So far, 316 Tests have been played between the two nations out of which Australia have won 131. England have registered 97 victories, while 88 Tests have ended in a draw.

The former Australia leg-spinner has already made it known that he believes England hold an advantage over the tourists in terms of slow bowling and has now identified Rashid as the man to partner first-choice Graeme Swann.

That would mean Monty Panesar would be left out, just months after touring the Caribbean as England’s number one spinner, with conditions at Sophia Gardens for the first Test starting on July 8 expected to suit the slow bowlers.

Warne said he had been impressed by the progress Yorkshire leg-spinner Rashid, 21, has made in recent seasons, highlighted by his recent performances at the World Twenty20 after he was called up to replace the injured Andrew Flintoff.

“What England have done very well is not rush Rashid,” Warne said.

“They have let him learn his craft. He has been very lucky to play with (Yorkshire captain) Michael Vaughan for a limited period of time. I think he’s ready now to make that step.

“He has performed very well in the limited opportunities he has had in Twenty20, which is really a spinner’s game.

“I believe Rashid is ready to play Test cricket and that he should play in the first Test match with Swann.

“If I was England I would be preparing a flat wicket that turns and playing two spinners.”

Should Panesar miss out it would be a dramatic fall from grace for the left-armer who has already seen Swann pass him in the pecking order following the tour of the Caribbean earlier this year.

Swann was England’s leading wicket-taker in that series after claiming 19 scalps at an average of 24.05, while Panesar could manage just five wickets.

Swann was then preferred for the return two-Test series in May, when England opted for just one spinner in both matches, with Panesar relegated to county ranks.

The 27-year-old has, however, failed to impress with Northamptonshire in four-day cricket this year, taking just six wickets at an alarming average of 86.66 and while Warne believes he is a “wonderful bowler” he does not think Panesar has improved since making his Test debut in 2006.

“He’s a wonderful bowler, he has been fantastic for cricket, he’s exciting,” Warne said.

“But he’s stayed the same, he’s one of those guys that has played one Test 30 times.

“You’re all going to have your fluctuations in form but you want to see an improvement.”