How it unfolded
A low-scoring match finished in two days. Australia collapsed to 63 in the first innings, England managed only 101, and Australia's second innings brought 122. England needed just 85 to win — an easy target even by the standards of the day. But with England on 51 for 2, the match turned. Australian fast bowler Fred Spofforth drove the remaining eight wickets to fall for just 26 runs, and England was bowled out for 77, seven runs short. Spofforth finished with 7 for 46 and 7 for 44, 14 wickets for 90 runs in the match. W. G. Grace had earlier run out Australia's Sammy Jones for backing up too far, enraging the Australians, and Spofforth's declaration to his teammates that the match could still be won became the story's centerpiece. One spectator reportedly died of a heart attack in the stands, and another was said to have chewed through his umbrella handle from the tension. Four days later, The Sporting Times ran a mock obituary mourning the death of English cricket.
Why it still matters
This was England's first home defeat to Australia, and the newspaper obituary that mocked the loss gave the rivalry its name. The England-Australia series has been fought over a small terracotta urn ever since, becoming the oldest rivalry in sport at over 140 years, and the practice of giving a bilateral series its own narrative and symbol became the model for every trophy that followed.