John Howard, the Australian prime minister, has launched an unusual appeal for the Ashes urn to be displayed in Australia. In an open letter that appeared on the front page of Sydney's Daily Telegraph, Howard suggested that giving up the urn might provide incentive for the hapless England cricketers to win it back. "The time has come for The Ashes to return to Australia," wrote Howard, noted to be a huge fan of cricket and often described as a Cricket Tragic.

He noted that after Australia's victory over England in the third Test at Perth to clinch the Ashes for an eighth consecutive time, Australia had, so to say, held the trophy for 16 years without it ever leaving its home at Lord's in London.

"Australia's cricketing dominance in recent years is undeniable," Howard said. "Given our sustained supremacy, it is not unreasonable to argue the urn should be on display in Australia."

"Some may wonder why does it matter whether The Ashes -- the remains of a burnt cricket bail nestled in a century-old urn -- are housed in a museum in England or Australia," Howard continued. The answer, he said, is that "The Ashes urn is the most treasured sporting trophy in the eyes of most Australians" and that sending it to the country "would be a real gesture on the part of English cricket authorities."

More pragmatically, he asked "our English friends to look at it this way: if the urn were to come to Australia, then they would have a much greater incentive to win it back."

But MCC, who house the urn in their museum at Lord's, dismissed Howard's suggestion. "The Ashes urn is not and never has been a trophy competed for between Australia and England," said Iain Wilton, a spokesman for the club. "The trophy is the Waterford crystal trophy which will be presented to Steve Waugh at the end of the series."

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