Pink ball Tests will not form part of future Ashes series following talks between England and Australia on reciprocal tour arrangements.
Under the guidelines for international cricket’s future tours programme and World Test Championship, both countries have to agree to day-night fixtures being incorporated into playing schedules.
Daily Mail Sport understands the England and Wales Cricket Board are firmly against the idea, believing a series as prestigious as the Ashes does not need them.
Floodlit Tests have been viewed as a way of attracting new fans Down Under, and broadcasters like the idea of one match per series being beamed into the homes of people on Australia’s highly-populated east coast at tea time as they arrive home from work.
However, record attendances for Australia’s 4-1 win over Ben Stokes’ team this winter suggest no gimmicks are required to ramp up interest where England are concerned.
England have played four day-night Tests across the last three Ashes tours, but next year’s one-off 150th anniversary match at the MCG between March 11 and 15 is set to be the last.
Pink ball Tests will not form part of future Ashes series following talks between England and Australia on reciprocal tour arrangements (Pictured: Mitchell Starc)
The ECB are understood to firmly be against the idea of hosting day-night matches and are of the view that a prestigious series like the Ashes doesn’t need them (Pictured: Ben Stokes)
Floodlit Tests have been viewed as a way of attracting new fans Down Under, and broadcasters like the idea of one match per series being beamed into the homes of people on Australia’s highly-populated east coast at tea time
In contrast to this winter’s Ashes, England will also be involved in an appropriate warm-up match a year from now, against high-level Australian opposition, almost certainly at Junction Oval in Melbourne, where floodlight installation is set to be completed this August.
Mistakes over preparation formed part of the ECB’s post-Ashes review and they have acted to ensure appropriate tour matches are included in schedules going forward.
It means Australia will be offered a minimum of one first-class fixture against either England Lions or a county composite XI ahead of the 2027 Ashes, while England will be involved in a four-day game at the WACA or Allan Border Field pre-series, depending on whether the 2029-30 itinerary begins in Perth or Brisbane.
Keen to avoid any repeat of the low-intensity, in-house build-up of Lilac Hill last November, the ECB has also sent requests to South Africa and Bangladesh to provide first-class opposition at the start of tours next winter.
