The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced next year’s Ashes schedule, the last stop on Australia’s marathon run of as many as 21 Tests in 11 months.
The series concludes a lengthy year of Test cricket that could help define the legacies of ageing icons Steve Smith, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon.
The ECB also confirmed the World Test Championship final has been moved from Lord’s to The Oval.
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Pending Australia’s involvement in the June 9-13 final, there is a warm-up match scheduled for the tourists from June 7-10 against England Lions at Old Trafford in Manchester.
The Ashes will be played across a block of just over six weeks, culminating in the traditional final Test at The Oval.
Australia haven’t claimed an outright victory in an Ashes series abroad since 2001, though England last held the coveted trophy following their 2015 triumph.
England are set to enter the 2027 series without Ben Stokes, who retired from Test cricket last month, while they will also have a new coach after ‘Bazball’ architect Brendon McCullum was sacked as coach.
2027 Ashes fixture
June 18-22: Trent Bridge, Nottingham
June 30-July 4: Lord’s, London
July 8-12: Edgbaston, Birmingham
July 21-25: Utilita Bowl, Southampton
July 29-Aug 2: The Oval, London
First squad named as Australia’s year-long Test journey begins
Opening bat Jake Weatherald has retained his spot in Australia’s Test squad for the looming series against Bangladesh while captain Pat Cummins and veteran pair Hazlewood and Lyon all return from injury for the start of a gruelling schedule.
The Australians host Bangladesh in Darwin from August 13-17 and Mackay from August 22-26.
Missing from the squad for the final Ashes Test against England earlier this year are Usman Khawaja (retired), Michael Neser, Todd Murphy and Brendan Doggett.
Weatherald will resume his opening batting partnership with Travis Head after playing all five Tests against England, when the Darwin-born left-hander made 201 runs at an average of 22.33.
“There were moments in that Ashes series where we liked the combination of what Jake and Travis were able to bring and what that looked like as a collective,” Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey told reporters on Tuesday.
“And then also individually what Jake at his best looked like within that series.
“Hopefully we do see some growth out of that and some understanding of what it takes for success at Test level.”
Skipper Cummins has played just one Test since July last year because of stress fractures in his back.
The skipper returned for the third Test against England in Adelaide, when Lyon suffered a severe hamstring tear that required surgery.
Hazlewood was ruled out of the Ashes series in December due to hamstring and Achilles injuries.
“There has been some adjustments to both his training and some of his physical prep to try and alleviate some of those setbacks he has had,” Bailey said.
And while Steve Smith has consistently maintained he is a series-by-series proposition, Bailey said after discussions with the star batsman “I don’t think I have seen him as excited or invigorated around the opportunities and challenges this Test team have over the next period of time”.
“He’s probably not on his lonesome there,” he said.
“For those guys that have played a lot of Test cricket … there’s some really big, key series and a chance, I think, for this team to really lay down a marker across a number of different conditions as well.”
Australia’s Test schedule includes away series against South Africa and India before they visit England for the Ashes series.
— with AAP
