Cricket Australia announce venues for the 2025-26 Ashes series, with Brisbane being picked as the venue for the D/N test.
Cricket Australia has unveiled the dates for the 2025-26 Ashes series in Australia.
According to a new deal to hold the pre-Christmas Test for seven years, Adelaide will host the third Test as a day game. Gabba is scheduled to host the second Test, which will take place day and night.
According to CA, the first Ashes Test will take place in Perth from November 21–25 of next summer. The second Test will be held in Brisbane from December 4–8, using pink balls and lights. The customary Boxing Day Test at the MCG is on December 26. There will be a day game in Adelaide for the third Test from December 17–21. The fifth Test will take place in Sydney from January 4–8.
Since August, when CA stated that it was fixturing contracts with the various state governments. A reorganisation of the customary Ashes rotation is anticipated.
Since the inaugural day-night Test in 2015, Adelaide has served as the primary venue for the series. It also served as the host of the two previous Ashes day-night Tests in 2017–18 and 2021–22. These were held as the second Test in the rotation after the customary Gabba opener.
Though Adelaide is now third in the rotation, the government of South Australia and the Commonwealth of Australia were eager to provide Adelaide a prominent holiday slot given the Test’s popularity among tourists.
Three prior day-night Test matches, including the renowned victory by the West Indies in January of this year, were held at the Gabba. However, since Perth hosted the first Test and Brisbane hosted the second in 1982–1983, this will mark the first time Brisbane has not hosted the Ashes opener.
Concerns about the stadium’s reconstruction plans in advance of the 2032 Olympics have cast a shadow over the Gabba future. The Ashes Test in 2025 may be the final Test at the Gabba because no Test is slated for 2026–2027 or later. The stadium won’t be functional by 2030 in its existing configuration.
Australia’s bowlers have already expressed their opinion that the pink ball is more appropriate for the Adelaide Oval. There might be less enthusiasm for using it at the Gabba. In the Gabba pink-ball Tests, there have been times when the ball has been extremely soft. This has consequently caused the game to stagnate.