With the 2023 Ashes in the books, the men's and women's series two of the greatest ever played, when are England and Australia meeting next? When are the Ashes next held on home soil and what are the venues?
Friday 4 August 2023 15:36, UK
The 2023 Ashes is in the books, with the men's and women's series widely considered to be among the greatest ever played, so naturally thoughts turn to when these two teams next clash - here's a look at when and where England and Australia meet again, and what questions both sides face beforehand...
The two nations each host an Ashes series every four years, so it's Australia's turn next as they welcome England 'Down Under' over the 2025/26 winter (their summer).
The men's teams will go head-to-head again over another five-Test series with, traditionally, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth playing host, though not necessarily in that order. Hobart replaced Perth as a venue on England's most recent 2021/22 tour due to stricter Covid restrictions in Western Australia at the time.
The venues and dates have yet to be confirmed for the England men's tour, but Melbourne's famous MCG, which can hold up to 100,000 fans, traditionally hosts the beloved Boxing Day Test, while Sydney's SCG normally brings in the new year.
The Adelaide Test has, for England's past two Ashes tours, been a day/night Test played under lights in the evening sessions and with a pink ball. Hobart also hosted a day/night Test in 2021/22; it is not yet known whether there will be one or two such games planned for 2025/26.
As for the women's Ashes in Australia, it is likely to again be a multi-format series, as has been the case with the past seven series, with one Test match flanked by three one-day internationals and three T20Is. On England's last tour, the T20s were all played at the Adelaide Oval, while the Test and ODIs where shared between the Manuka Oval in Canberra and Junction Oval in Melbourne. No venues and dates have been confirmed for 2025/26 as of yet.
The next home Ashes series will be in 2027, with the venues already confirmed for the men's series, as well as those being used for 2031.
Southampton's Ageas Bowl will host a men's Ashes Test for the first time in 2027, as well as its first women's Ashes ODI that summer, along with the women's Ashes Test in 2031. Headingley will host the 2027 women's Ashes Test.
(*in no particular order)
2027 men's Ashes venues: Lord's, The Kia Oval, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge and The Ageas Bowl
2031 men's Ashes venues: Lord's, The Kia Oval, Emirates Old Trafford, Headingley and Trent Bridge
Possibly.
The announcement of the home Ashes venues for 2027 earlier this summer drew criticism for the lack of an Ashes Test scheduled north of Nottingham.
England men's Test captain Ben Stokes, who performed so heroically in firing England to a memorable Ashes win at Headingley in 2019, and led his team to victory there again this year, admitted he was "devastated" at the prospect.
The mayors of Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire have also since voiced their displeasure, urging the ECB to reconsider its allocation.
Andy Burnham (Greater Manchester) and Tracy Brabin (West Yorkshire) have written an open letter describing the allocation of venues as "remarkable" and criticising the fact that London "consistently hosts three Tests every summer".
It makes for pretty grim reading from an England point of view.
Australia are the holders of both the men's and women's Ashes, successfully retaining the Ashes as holders by drawing their respective series in England this summer.
England's men last tasted victory in 2015, while their most recent Ashes win 'Down Under' was in 2010/11, with the team failing to win a single Test match on the three tours since, suffering a staggering 13 defeats in 15! That said, with Stokes' side drawing this summer's series 2-2, England did at least extend their proud record of remaining unbeaten in Ashes series at home since 2001.
England's women were last victorious in the Ashes on their 2013-14 tour of Australia and have lost three of the five series since, drawing the other two in 2017-18 and this summer.
The next meeting between the two teams, in any format, will be at the men's 50-over World Cup later this year, as Jos Buttler's England look to defend the title they won in such dramatic fashion on home soil in 2019.
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahemdabad, India, is the venue on November 4 as England and Australia meet in the group stage, while a further semi-final or final clash could also potentially be on the cards.
India also plays host to the women's 50-over World Cup in 2025, while there's a men's and women's T20 World Cup scheduled for next year in which England and Australia could face off. The men's tournament takes place in the West Indies and USA in June, while Bangladesh host the women's tournament in September.
England's men's side are the current holders of both the 50-over and T20 World Cups, while the same is true for Australia's women.
In addition to all of the above, the Australian men's white-ball side visits England next summer, with three T20Is and five ODIs scheduled for September.
England vs Australia - 2024 men's white-ball series:
September 11 - First men's T20I - The Ageas Bowl, Southampton
September 13 - Second men's T20I - Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
September 15 - Third men's T20I - Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
September 19 - First men's ODI - Trent Bridge, Nottingham
September 21 - Second men's ODI - Headingley, Leeds
September 24 - Third men's ODI - Seat Unique Riverside, Chester-le-Street
September 27 - Fourth men's ODI - Lord's London
September 29 - Fifth men's ODI - Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol
