Tim Lamb, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, has extinguished Australian hopes of returning home with the real Ashes.

Australian captain Steve Waugh, speaking after the tourists had wrapped up the series with their Test win at Trent Bridge, said that his "personal point of view" was that: "We have won 3-0. We have won the series, and I think we should get the Ashes -- the original. You are playing for the trophy, so why not get it?

"It is the ultimate prize in cricket, they say. But you cannot get near it. It is not much of a prize really if you cannot see it or cannot touch it."

And England chairman of selectors David Graveney sympathised by admitting: "I can understand where he's coming from."

However, Lamb has pointed out that the logistics of transporting such a valuable trophy half way round the globe makes it impossible for Australia to take home the treasured urn.

He said: "There is absolutely no question of the original Ashes urn leaving Lord's - it belongs at Lord's.

"There have been a number of replicas which have been used over the years - but the MCC would never let the original out. It is in the museum at Lord's and it stays there.

"The Australian Cricket Board realise that if anything happened to it then it would be gone forever."

The winners of the Ashes instead receive a Waterford Crystal replica of the Ashes urn, which will be presented to Waugh after the Fifth Ashes Test at the Oval. Lamb pointed out that the production of the crystal replica as a "perpetual trophy" in 1998 had been supported by the ACB.

Lamb admitted that, "It's something completely different -- but at least there is a trophy for one of the teams to keep. It will be presented to Australia - and we hope to be bringing it back in 18 months' time."

The Ashes may seem to be in the perpetual possession of Australia at the moment, but for the foreseeable future the urn itself will stay at Lord's.

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