English cricket team in Australia in 1882–83

Originally, three matches were arranged between Bligh's XI and a Combined Australia XI. Bligh's XI won two of these after losing the first. Although the actual sequence of events has never been completely confirmed, it was after winning the third match that Bligh was somehow presented with a small urn which is believed to contain the ashes of a burnt bail. He brought this back to England and it is now the most famous exhibit in the museum at Lord's Cricket Ground. England and Australia have been contesting these mythical Ashes ever since. A. fourth match was arranged ad hoc after the original series had been completed, and was won by the Australians. Following publication of Clarence P. Moody's proposed Test cricket list in 1894, all four matches were retrospectively recognised as Test matches.

Test matches

These matches were not called Tests at the time but they were retrospectively recognised after they were included in Australian Cricket and Cricketers, 1856 to 1893–94 (1894) by Clarence P. Moody. The original title of each match was Combined Australia XI v I. F. W. Bligh's XI.

First Test

• Australia won the toss and elected to bat.
• 31 December 1882 was taken as a rest day.
• Hon. I. F. W. Bligh, C. F. H. Leslie, W. W. Read, G. B. Studd, E. F. S. Tylecote and G. F. Vernon (all Eng) made their Test debuts.

Second Test

• England won the toss and elected to bat.
• 21 January was taken as a rest day.
• This was the first Test match to be won by an innings margin.
• Billy Bates became the first England player to take a Test hat-trick with the first-innings wickets of Percy McDonnell, George Giffen and George Bonnor. He was also the first player in Test history to score a 50 and take 10 wickets in a match.

Third Test

• England won the toss and elected to bat.
• 28 January was taken as a rest day.
• This match saw the creation of the Ashes urn; with England having won the series, some Australian ladies burnt a bail and put the ashes in an urn, which remains in the Memorial Gallery at Lord's.

Fourth Test

• England won the toss and elected to bat.
• 18 February was taken as a rest day.
• Four separate pitches were used in the match, one for each innings.