England are trailing in the 2025–26 Ashes series in Australia. The next Test begins in Adelaide today, Wednesday 17 December.
Dr Steve Georgakis, Australian sports historian from the University of Sydney, said
“Cricket in colonial Australia wasn’t about creating Australians – it was about producing British subjects. The military introduced the game as early as 1803, schools embedded it from 1818, and pubs commercialised it from 1826. For decades, cricket was one of the empire’s most effective cultural tools.
“Long before cricket became a symbol of Australian identity, it affirmed British authority and tradition. So, while England may struggle on the scoreboard now, they won the long game first.”