There are plenty of exciting games to look forward to in the cricket calendar, but few, arguably, come as close as the Men’s Ashes Series, one of sport’s biggest and longest-running rivalries. This November, England and Australia will go head-to-head in the latest of their clashes, which take place every two years. Specifically, you’ll need to make sure in Australia for Friday, November 2nd, when the first test match of the tour will take off in Perth.

Now – you know what we’re going to say, and you’re right! To enjoy any kind of long-distance sporting trip, you’ll need a decent amount of data to hand so you can share the latest twists and turns with friends and family while you’re away. When you’re reliant on the same old phone tariffs, you’re not always going to get a great deal – which is why, of course, you’ll need an eSIM. More on that later, but for now, let’s dive back into what makes the Ashes Series such a big deal for cricket fans.

Sport’s Oldest Rivalry?

The Men’s Ashes Series is easily cricket’s oldest rivalry, but there’s likely to be an argument for it taking the longest rivalry in sport, period. According to Cricket.com.au, Australia and England have been duking it out together since at least 1882. The name of the series first arose when Australia pulled off an upset by thrashing England at The Oval (their home turf!).

Winning seven runs, Australia’s fight against England was such a headline-grabber that the Sporting Times reportedly called it the ‘death of English cricket’, with ‘the ashes to be taken to Australia’. England, of course, soon fought back, and there have been fluctuating wins on either side ever since.

If you’ve ever seen the Ashes Cup itself, it’s absolutely tiny! It’s thought to contain the ashes of a cricket ball from a match in the late 19th century, though what’s really fascinating is that no one truly knows for certain!

So, as odd as it seems – Australia and England’s national cricket sides are deeply passionate about doing their best to win this egg cup-sized trophy every two years. Given that the battle has been waged every two years for well over a century now, it’s unlikely that the competitiveness will die down any time soon.

Who’s Likely to Win 2025’s Ashes?

If you ask fans from either side, you’re obviously going to get a biased and fairly enthusiastic response! So, we’ve taken a look at some odds online heading into November, and it seems that Australia may well have the edge over England this time around.

That said, if you take a look back at the winners from 1882 onwards, you’ll see that both sides have taken their turns to lift the trophy. In 2023, the series was drawn, and in fact, England hasn’t won the series outright since 2015. So, things don’t exactly look peachy if you’re basing this year’s series on the past decade.

That said, England has held its own over the years. The side managed to win the Ashes three series in a row between 2009 and 2013. However, long-term fans of the series will point towards Australia’s absolute domination of the meetups between 1989 and 2003, where the side claimed eight Ashes Cups.

Of course, the players from the 90s aren’t the players of today, meaning you’ve got to look closer at how the current teams are performing. Bookmakers have done that for us for the most part, so admittedly, it looks like Australia might be a shoo-in for the 2025 series.

What better place to be, then, but Australia – where the side has the opportunity to break away from 2023’s draw and claim victory on home turf once again? Better start thinking about booking those tickets (and, of course, grabbing an eSIM)...

Don’t Fly Without an eSIM!

If you’re set on flying out to Australia for the start of this year’s Ashes series, now really is the time to get your tickets booked and to start planning accommodation. Beyond that, however, you’ll do well to budget ahead of time, too. If you’ve ever used your usual network SIM abroad to access mobile data, you may have come home to some pretty large bills – luckily, there’s a way around this.

With SIMOVO’s Australia eSIM, you can buy a data package in advance to cover you from as little as 1GB for a week, and up to 50GB for 180 days. If you intend to stay down under for the whole of the series (as it ends in January 2026), you may well choose the second option!

Regardless, buying an eSIM for your trip means that as soon as you land, your device will connect to Optus, offering up to 5G connectivity and speeds. You’ll be able to send messages and call through data apps such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, and FaceTime without worrying about what the costs will be when you get back home.

Plus, if you know you’re going to need a little more data each day you’re out there, you can buy an unlimited Australia eSIM that covers you for up to 3GB a day for up to two weeks. That means your data will reset every 24 hours, making it easy for you to budget your data so you can keep using social media, streaming, and chatting with loved ones from afar.

The last thing you’ll want when you’re trying to enjoy the start of the Ashes tour is to be worrying about your data, or what you’ll end up paying further down the line. So, take it from us and buy yourself an eSIM for Australia to keep yourself covered!

In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for the latest news about the line-ups for the sides, and keep your fingers crossed that your favourite side adds another win to that impressive list of matchups going back decades.