<P> Test cricket is almost always played as a series of matches between two countries, with all matches in the series taking place in the same country (the host). Often there is a perpetual trophy that is awarded to the winner, the most famous of which is the Ashes contested between England and Australia . There have been two exceptions to the bilateral nature of Test cricket: the 1912 Triangular Tournament, a three - way competition between England, Australia and South Africa (hosted by England), and the Asian Test Championship, an event held in 1998--99 and 2001--02 . </P> <P> The number of matches in Test series has varied from one to seven . Up until the early 1990s, Test series between international teams were organised between the two national cricket organisations with umpires provided by the home team . With the entry of more countries into Test cricket, and a wish by the ICC to maintain public interest in Tests in the face of the popularity of one - day cricket, a rotation system was introduced that sees all ten Test teams playing each other over a six - year cycle, and an official ranking system (with a trophy held by the highest - ranked team). In this system, umpires are provided by the ICC . An elite panel of eleven umpires has been established, and the panel is supplemented by an additional International Panel that includes three umpires named by each Test - playing country . The elite umpires officiate almost all Test matches, usually not Tests involving their home country . </P> <P> Sides designated as "England" began to play in the late 18th century, but these teams were not truly representative . Early international cricket was disrupted by the French Revolution and the American Civil War . The earliest international cricket match was between USA and Canada, on 24 and 25 September 1844 . This has never been officially considered a "Test match". Tours of national English sides abroad took place, particularly to the USA, Australia and New Zealand . The Australian Aborigines team became the first organised overseas cricketers to tour England in 1868 . </P> <P> Two rival English tours of Australia were proposed in the early months of 1877, with James Lillywhite campaigning for a professional tour and Fred Grace for an amateur one . Grace's tour fell through and it was Lillywhite's team that toured New Zealand and Australia in 1876--77 . Two matches against a combined Australian XI were later classified as the first official Test matches . The first match was won by Australia, by 45 runs, and the second by England . After reciprocal tours established a pattern of international cricket, The Ashes was established as an ongoing competition during the Australian tour of England in 1882 . Surprisingly beaten, a mock obituary of English cricket was published in the Sporting Times the following day: the phrase "The body shall be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia" prompted the subsequent creation of the Ashes urn . The series of 1884--85 was the first to be held over five matches: Shaw, writing in 1901, considered the side to be "the best ever to have left England". </P>

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