5 bilateral series trophies in cricket

Cricket is a game known for rivalries amongst nations. Though the biggest prize in the game is the World Cup, yet the contest between two teams remains of extreme importance as teams play far more bilateral series as compared to multi-nation tournaments.

Since the inception of the game, there have been several rivalries that have grown and made the game ever more intriguing for the fans. The trend of naming such rivalries has increased and there are several competitions presently that are played under a certain name.

Here are 5 such bilateral trophies in the game of cricket:

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#1 Warne-Murali Trophy

Named after the two spinning legends of the game, Shane Warne, and Muttiah Muralitharan, the Test series between Australia and Sri Lanka is played under this name. These two, being the two top wicket-takers in Test cricket, fittingly represent the clash of the two countries. It was first named in the year 2007 to mark the 25 years of Australia-Sri Lanka Test cricket.

Since 2007, it has been played 4 times with both nations hosting 2 series each. Australia won the first 3 series without going down in a single Test. But Sri Lanka enforced a 3-0 whitewash when they hosted in the year 2016 and are the current holders of the trophy.

The trophy features two right hands holding actual cricket balls that were used by Warne and Murali during their times and symbolizes the rich vein of spin history the two produced for their respective countries.

#2 Border-Gavaskar Trophy

The Test series played between India and Australia is named after the two greats, Allan Border from Australia, and Sunil Gavaskar from India. Both were premier batsmen of their times and captained their sides at the Test level. At the conclusion of every series, both legends mark their attendance and present the trophy to the winners.

It was first played in the season 1996-1997 in India where the hosts won the one-off Test. The number of matches in the series varied from 2 to 3 and 4. More recently, it has become a 4-Tests encounter that occurs every 4 years featuring both home and away games that take place 9 to 10 months apart.

India have won it 6 times as compared to 5 of Australia and 1 series ended in a 1-1 draw. Australia are the current holders of the trophy when they defeated India at home 2-0 in the 2014-15 season.

#3 Anthony De Mello/Pataudi Trophy

The Test series between India and England are played under two different names. Since 1951, Anthony de Mello trophy is given to the winner when a series is played in India. And in 2007, when 75 years were completed of Test rivalry between these two nations, Pataudi trophy was instituted for the winner in England.

Anthony de Mello was an Indian cricket administrator and one of the founders of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Pataudi trophy is named after the prestigious cricketing family of the Pataudis. Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi played for both India and England and his son Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi captained the Indian side for close to a decade from 1960 to 1970.

England are the current holders of the Pataudi Trophy when they defeated India 3-1 in 2014 at home. Whereas India are the current holders of the Anthony De Mello trophy when they recently gave England a hammering by 4-0 in a 5-Tests series.

#4 Chappell-Hadlee Trophy

Australia and New Zealand play the ODI series for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. It is named after the two legendary cricketing families of the two nations. Ian, Greg and Trevor Chappell represented the Australian side where Walter Hadlee and his three sons Barry, Dayle and Richard Hadlee played for the Kiwis.

From 2004 to 2009, it happened every year that consisted of 3 ODIs. The first series took place down under which was drawn at 1-1. The two league matches between the countries in 2011 and 2015 ODI World Cups were played under this name as well.

In the most recent 3-match series that happened in Australia, Australia enforced a clean sweep of 3-0 over New Zealand. The two teams also play the Test series under the name Trans-Tasman trophy.

#5 The Ashes

The oldest rivalry in the game of cricket has been between Australia and England. The first ever Test match was played between these two teams. The winner of the Ashes is presented with a small trophy that contains ashes of a burnt wooden bail.

It is traditionally a 5-Tests series hosted by both teams once every four years. The contest has produced some of the most intense cricket over the years. It is a dream of the cricketers from both countries to represent their sides in an Ashes encounter. The consequences of every series are huge as those have led to making or breaking of careers.

The first official Ashes series was played way back in 1882-83 season. Since then, both teams have won 32 times each and 5 series ended in a draw. The last series was played in England in which the hosts emerged victorious by a margin of 3-2 and hence are the current holders of the urn.