Ashes 2027 schedule announced, Trent Bridge returns to open series

England and Wales will host the men’s and women’s Ashes simultaneously again in 2027, with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) unveiling the full program on Wednesday. The men’s five-Test series will begin at Trent Bridge on June 18 and conclude at The Oval on August 2, while the women’s campaign will begin with a separate Test at Headingley from June 24.

The twin-series format returns after a successful implementation in 2023, when both competitions ended without a clear winner. England men drew the Test series 2–2, while the women’s multi-format competition ended level at 8–8. However, Australia retained both trophies as holders.

Trent Bridge will host an Ashes Test for the first time since Stuart Broad’s memorable spell of 8 for 15 against Australia in 2015. After opening in Nottingham, the remaining Tests will be played at Lord’s, Edgbaston, Utilita Bowl, the venue for the first men’s Ashes Test, and The Oval.

Before the start of the Ashes, Australia are expected to play a four-day warm-up match against England Lions at Emirates Old Trafford from June 7-10. The ECB said the match was to provide better preparation for the tourists following discussions with Cricket Australia, after England’s heavy 4-1 Ashes defeat earlier this year was partly blamed on insufficient heating possibilities.

England’s domestic international season will begin with a five-match ODI series against Pakistan from May 15-26. However, if the schedule overlaps with the Indian Premier League (IPL), it may affect player availability. While the 2027 IPL dates have not been confirmed, the BCCI had earlier said that the 2026 tournament window would run from March 14 to May 30.

Under the existing agreement between the ECB and the BCCI, English players are expected to fulfill their IPL commitments. As a result, some might miss out on the one-off Test against Bangladesh at Lord’s, scheduled to begin on May 28. It will be Bangladesh’s first Test in England since 2010 and comes after England’s planned two-match Test tour of Bangladesh in February.

England will finish their 2027 home season with three T20 Internationals and five ODIs against New Zealand in September. The white-ball series will serve as a key warm-up ahead of the ODI World Cup in South Africa, which is set to begin next month.

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Published on:

23 Jul 2026 16:12 IST