Ashes Series to Commence in June
The England men’s team is scheduled to begin their Ashes campaign against Australia at Trent Bridge on 18 June. This will mark the start of their effort to regain the Ashes from Australia. The women’s series is set to follow shortly after, commencing on 24 June.
The second men’s Test will take place at Lord’s, starting on 30 June, with the third Test at Edgbaston beginning on 8 July. The Utilita Bowl in Southampton is slated to become the 10th UK ground to host a men’s Ashes Test, with the fourth match scheduled for 21 July. The men’s series will conclude at the Kia Oval, with play starting on 29 July.
The multi-format Women’s Ashes will run concurrently with the men’s series, from 24 June to 20 July, mirroring the schedule from 2023. The women’s series will open with a four-day game at Headingley, marking the first time a women’s Ashes Test will be held in Leeds since 2001.
Other International Fixtures and Preparations
The men’s team will not play any Tests in the north of England during the Ashes series, as Emirates Old Trafford and Headingley were not selected for these matches. This decision had drawn criticism in 2023 from Andy Burnham, who was then the mayor of Greater Manchester.
Prior to the Ashes, England men will prepare by facing Bangladesh in a one-off Test at Lord’s, which is set to begin on 28 May. Australia will have a warm-up game against England Lions at Old Trafford from 7-10 June. This fixture is part of a new reciprocal agreement between the two countries to arrange a “high-quality opposition at an international venue.”
The England women’s team, who last won an Ashes Test in 2014, will also compete in three T20s starting on 3 July at Trent Bridge, The Oval, and Old Trafford. Additionally, they will play three one-day internationals beginning on 13 July, with matches scheduled for Southampton, Lord’s, and Edgbaston. In the multi-format series, a victory in the Test is worth four points, while each win in a white-ball game is worth two points.
The England and Wales Cricket Board also announced that an England men’s mixed disability team will play Australia next summer, though specific dates and venues are yet to be confirmed. This inclusion is highlighted as a significant moment for the cricketing landscape.
World Test Championship and Other Series
The men’s World Test Championship final is scheduled to take place at The Oval from 9 June. This will be the second time The Oval hosts this final, following its previous staging in 2023. The International Cricket Council had previously announced that the ECB was awarded the right to host the next three finals in London in 2027, 2029, and 2031.
Australia’s warm-up game against England Lions will be reviewed if the tourists reach the World Test Championship final. This final will mark the end of the fourth edition of the World Test Championship. The 2023 final at The Oval saw Australia defeat India. The 2021 final, held in Southampton, saw New Zealand beat India, while the 2023 event at Lord’s saw South Africa secure victory against Australia.
The Ashes series will conclude a busy period of red-ball cricket for Australia, which includes hosting Bangladesh for two Tests in August, touring South Africa for three Tests in October, hosting New Zealand for four Tests at the turn of the year, competing in five Tests in India in January and February, and staging a one-off Test against England in March to commemorate 150 years of Test cricket.
England men’s summer in 2027 will commence with a five-match ODI series against Pakistan in May, before concluding with three T20s and five ODIs against New Zealand in September as they prepare for the 50-over World Cup starting in October. England women will host Bangladesh in a three-match T20 series and a three-match ODI series in September.
The England men’s team will play a one-off Test against Bangladesh at Lord’s from 28 May. The England men’s white-ball team is scheduled to play ten ODIs over the summer to fine-tune preparations for the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in southern Africa. Their schedule will conclude with a three-match T20 series and five ODIs against New Zealand in September.
The England women’s team will end their summer schedule with a three-match T20 series and a three-match ODI series against Bangladesh. The ECB and Cricket Australia have agreed to schedule a high-quality match for the Australia men’s team against a full-strength England Lions team at an international venue to prepare for the 2027 Rothesay Men’s Ashes Series. This arrangement will be reciprocated when England tours Australia in 2029.
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Source: bbc.com
Arjun Sharma
Sports Reporter