When is the next Test, full schedule and how to watch England vs Australia

Were there any tour matches?

England’s preparation for the Ashes attracted criticism, notably from former captain and coach Graham Gooch in an interview with Telegraph Sport.

Prior to the series, England beat New Zealand 1-0 in the three-match Twenty20 international series after two of the white-ball meetings were washed out. However, Brendon McCullum’s side lost all three of their one-day internationals against the Black Caps.

Their only red-ball cricket before the first ball was bowled in Perth came in the form of an intra-squad practice match.

Odds to win the series (after first Test):

• Australia 1/4
• England 6/1
• Drawn series 14/1

Past Ashes winners

The first Ashes series was played in 1882-83. Since then, there have been 73 series with Australia winning 34 and England 32. Seven series have finished as a draw.

Australia have enjoyed the upper hand in recent times, with England not winning a series since the summer of 2015 on home soil.

England have won away series just twice since 1980, with those victories coming in 1986-87 and 2010-11. Those teams have passed into greatness, such is the difficulty of winning in Australia.

Should this series finish as a draw, Australia would retain the urn.