England and Australia were the first teams to be granted Test status on 15 March 1877 and they gained full membership to the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 15 June 1909. England and Australia also took part in the first One Day International (ODI) on 5 January 1971. England played their first Twenty20 match on 13 June 2005, facing Australia once again.
As of 23 August 2009, England have won 310 of the 891 Test matches they have played and are ranked fifth in the ICC Test Championship.They have finished runners-up in 3 Cricket World Cups (1979, 1987 and 1992), and have also been runners up once in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004. They are currently ranked fifth in the ICC ODI Championship.
England are the current holders of the Ashes, which is the test match series contest between England and Australia and which has been played since the late 19th century.
