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Cricket's Greatest Rivalry: A History of the Ashes in 10 Matches: A History of The Ashes in 12 Matches
From the William Hill Award-Winning Author of A Lot of Hard Yakka comes Cricket's Greatest A History of the Ashes in 12 Matches by Simon Hughes.
A fast-paced, distinctive history of the iconic, 137-year-old cricketing rivalry between England and Australia published in the year of back-to-back Ashes contests.
No other sport has a fixture like the Ashes. From the early 1880s the rivalry between these two great sporting nations has captured the public imagination and made sporting legends of its stars. Commentator, analyst and award-winning cricket historian Simon Hughes tells the story of the 12 seminal series that have become the stuff of sporting folklore. Cricket's Greatest Rivalry places you right at the heart of the action of each pivotal match, explaining the social context of the time, the atmosphere of the crowd and the background and temperaments of the players that battled in both baggy green and blue caps.
The book also includes complete statistics and records of all the Ashes fixtures and results and much more!
A fast-paced, distinctive history of the iconic, 137-year-old cricketing rivalry between England and Australia published in the year of back-to-back Ashes contests.
No other sport has a fixture like the Ashes. From the early 1880s the rivalry between these two great sporting nations has captured the public imagination and made sporting legends of its stars. Commentator, analyst and award-winning cricket historian Simon Hughes tells the story of the 12 seminal series that have become the stuff of sporting folklore. Cricket's Greatest Rivalry places you right at the heart of the action of each pivotal match, explaining the social context of the time, the atmosphere of the crowd and the background and temperaments of the players that battled in both baggy green and blue caps.
The book also includes complete statistics and records of all the Ashes fixtures and results and much more!
- GenresSports
293 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 11, 2019
9 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Simon Hughes
56 books29 followersSimon Peter Hughes is an English cricketer and journalist. He is the son of the actor Peter Hughes, and the brother of historian Bettany Hughes.
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 7, 2019
The Ashes test series is, IMO, the greatest sporting contest in the world. Each five day match requires two teams of eleven players to exhibit courage, stamina, tactical nous and great skill. There have now been 335 Test Matches between England and Australia (including this year's series when the Aussies retained the Ashes in a drawn series). It is the longest running international feud in sport; they first played against each other in 1877. The essence of the Ashes is foes on the field, friends off it. With the passing of Richie Benaud however, the mutual respect between the two nations has departed. The nadir was reached when the Australians, having beaten England 4-0 Down Under to regain the Ashes in an ill-tempered 2017-18 series, were caught blatantly cheating in a Test Match in Cape Town. All of Australia was outraged. The 'Sandpapergate' scandal resulted in 12-month bans for the captain, Steve Smith and chief instigator, David Warner and a nine-month ban for Cameron Bancroft, the apprentice assigned to do the team's dirty work.
For all that and for cricket fans this book should be in your library. Simon Hughes is a TV cricket analyst and award-winning commentator. He has written a gripping, distinctive history of this iconic cricketing rivalry, a rivalry that since the early 1880s has captured the public imagination and made sporting legends of its stars. Hughes tells the story of the 12 seminal series that have become the stuff of sporting folklore. From the Oval in 1882 to Perth in the 2017-18 series, each forensic examination provides a virtual ball-by-ball account. Extraordinary!
And thoroughly enjoyable!
For all that and for cricket fans this book should be in your library. Simon Hughes is a TV cricket analyst and award-winning commentator. He has written a gripping, distinctive history of this iconic cricketing rivalry, a rivalry that since the early 1880s has captured the public imagination and made sporting legends of its stars. Hughes tells the story of the 12 seminal series that have become the stuff of sporting folklore. From the Oval in 1882 to Perth in the 2017-18 series, each forensic examination provides a virtual ball-by-ball account. Extraordinary!
And thoroughly enjoyable!
July 27, 2025
I read Cricket’s Greatest Rivalry: A History of The Ashes in 12 Matches in early 2020—just before the world fell into lockdown and just when we still believed Test cricket was an eternal constant.
For someone who grew up in India, where cricket isn’t just a sport but a national bloodstream, reading about The Ashes felt like peeking into another nation’s sacred ritual—familiar yet different, respectful yet ruthless.
Sam Pilger’s book doesn’t just recount twelve iconic matches—it curates an emotional and historical timeline of England and Australia’s oldest cricketing feud. From the legendary fire of Bodyline in 1932–33 to the miracle of Headingley in 2019, each chapter is a stage in a drama where cricketing legacy is on the line, but the dignity of the game is never lost.
For an Indian, rivalry means something else altogether. We think of 16-1 at Centurion. Of Sachin’s six in Chennai. Of Dhoni lifting Afridi over extra cover.
The India–Pakistan rivalry is not just about the sport—it is war in white flannels. Steeped in partition, pain, politics, and unhealed wounds, India–Pakistan cricket carries geopolitical resonance. The atmosphere is militarised, the fans tribal, the players avatars of national pride. Every boundary is a bullet. Every wicket a vindication. Every handshake across the aisle—rare, risky, and often under diplomatic scrutiny.
In contrast, the Ashes, as this book lovingly reveals, is a rivalry of memory and honour. It began with satire—the infamous obituary of English cricket in The Sporting Times in 1882—and grew into a saga of mutual admiration layered over competitive fire.
Pilger expertly captures how the Ashes is both tradition and theatre. The pace quartet of Lillee and Thomson. The stoic grace of Boycott. The fire of Flintoff, the resilience of Ponting, the raw genius of Ben Stokes. It is cricket played hard but mostly fair.
What struck me most during this read was how context shapes rivalry. India–Pakistan is historical trauma played out with pads and gloves. Ashes, on the other hand, is colonial banter that evolved into sportsmanship with teeth. When England and Australia duel, the air is thick with heritage, not hatred. There’s fire, but no fog of war.
Pilger’s writing is crisp, evocative, and well-paced—much like a good Test match on day three. He isn’t just rehashing scorecards. He’s unpacking legacy. He makes each of the twelve matches feel like a standalone story, yet threads them into a continuous emotional arc.
Comparatively, if The Ashes is a gentleman's boxing match in a vintage ring, then India–Pakistan is a duel with history as the referee and memory as the scorekeeper. This book reminded me that not all rivalries are born alike—some come from bloodlines, some from borderlines.
In the end, Cricket’s Greatest Rivalry is a tribute to the kind of cricket that made the game what it is—resilient, respectful, and radiating tradition.
Now, if only we could get a book that placed both rivalries side by side. Or better yet— if the God of Cricket himself writes it.
For someone who grew up in India, where cricket isn’t just a sport but a national bloodstream, reading about The Ashes felt like peeking into another nation’s sacred ritual—familiar yet different, respectful yet ruthless.
Sam Pilger’s book doesn’t just recount twelve iconic matches—it curates an emotional and historical timeline of England and Australia’s oldest cricketing feud. From the legendary fire of Bodyline in 1932–33 to the miracle of Headingley in 2019, each chapter is a stage in a drama where cricketing legacy is on the line, but the dignity of the game is never lost.
For an Indian, rivalry means something else altogether. We think of 16-1 at Centurion. Of Sachin’s six in Chennai. Of Dhoni lifting Afridi over extra cover.
The India–Pakistan rivalry is not just about the sport—it is war in white flannels. Steeped in partition, pain, politics, and unhealed wounds, India–Pakistan cricket carries geopolitical resonance. The atmosphere is militarised, the fans tribal, the players avatars of national pride. Every boundary is a bullet. Every wicket a vindication. Every handshake across the aisle—rare, risky, and often under diplomatic scrutiny.
In contrast, the Ashes, as this book lovingly reveals, is a rivalry of memory and honour. It began with satire—the infamous obituary of English cricket in The Sporting Times in 1882—and grew into a saga of mutual admiration layered over competitive fire.
Pilger expertly captures how the Ashes is both tradition and theatre. The pace quartet of Lillee and Thomson. The stoic grace of Boycott. The fire of Flintoff, the resilience of Ponting, the raw genius of Ben Stokes. It is cricket played hard but mostly fair.
What struck me most during this read was how context shapes rivalry. India–Pakistan is historical trauma played out with pads and gloves. Ashes, on the other hand, is colonial banter that evolved into sportsmanship with teeth. When England and Australia duel, the air is thick with heritage, not hatred. There’s fire, but no fog of war.
Pilger’s writing is crisp, evocative, and well-paced—much like a good Test match on day three. He isn’t just rehashing scorecards. He’s unpacking legacy. He makes each of the twelve matches feel like a standalone story, yet threads them into a continuous emotional arc.
Comparatively, if The Ashes is a gentleman's boxing match in a vintage ring, then India–Pakistan is a duel with history as the referee and memory as the scorekeeper. This book reminded me that not all rivalries are born alike—some come from bloodlines, some from borderlines.
In the end, Cricket’s Greatest Rivalry is a tribute to the kind of cricket that made the game what it is—resilient, respectful, and radiating tradition.
Now, if only we could get a book that placed both rivalries side by side. Or better yet— if the God of Cricket himself writes it.
August 22, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyable history of the Ashes written in a knowledgeable and engaging way.
May 2, 2025
Excellent account of the oldest cricket rivalry, told with considerable humour
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews