EXPLAINER: Guide to the Ashes, test cricket’s biggest stage

By JOHN PYE
AP Sports Writer

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — After emphatic wins in the first two tests, Australia can retain the Ashes — the traditional prize for the winner of the regular series between Australia and England — with victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the five-day match starting Sunday. The Boxing Day test has grown to become one of the biggest days on the international cricket calendar. It’s always scheduled at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and always starts Dec. 26. It hits a holiday sweet spot for a lot of Aussies, giving millions of people across the country time to tune in via TV or radio in the relative quiet a day after Christmas. Here’s a bit of an explainer.