The word "Ashes" can refer to a few different things, depending on the context:
The Residue of Fire
Most commonly, ashes are the gray or black powdery residue that remains after a substance (like wood, paper, or coal) has been completely burned.
Aftermath of Destruction: It often symbolizes ruins or complete destruction, as in: "The entire city was reduced to ashes."
Human Remains: It is also used to refer to the cremated remains of a human body: "Her ashes were scattered over the ocean."
The Ashes (Cricket)
With a capital "A," The Ashes is a famous, long-standing, and highly competitive Test cricket series played between England and Australia.
The Urn: The name comes from a satirical obituary published in 1882 after Australia beat England for the first time on English soil. The obituary stated that English cricket had died and "the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia."
The literal "Ashes" are contained in a small terracotta urn (reputedly the ashes of a burnt wooden bail) that remains in the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Museum at Lord's, London, regardless of which team wins the series.