- England want no under lights pink ball Test in the 2029 and 30 Ashes in Australia, after post-series talks between the ECB and Cricket Australia.
- The stance follows a heavy Gabba defeat last month, even with broadcast numbers that topped Perth and Adelaide.
- A 2027 MCG anniversary Test is still scheduled as a pink ball match, with England expected to get a warm-up game first.
England are set to push back against any plan for a pink ball Ashes Test under lights in the next series in Australia.
BBC Sport reports that the England and Wales Cricket Board has already signalled its position for the 2029/30 tour to Cricket Australia, following post-Ashes discussions between senior officials.
England lost the day/night Test at the Gabba in Brisbane by eight wickets last month, sliding 2-0 down in a series that ended 4-1 to Australia. The broader talks between the ECB and CA centred on protecting the Ashes as a blue ribbon contest at a time when Test cricket is being questioned.
One pink ball fixture is already in the diary. England and Australia are due to play a one-off day/night Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 2027 to mark 150 years since the first Test at the same venue. Those plans were announced in August 2024 and England are expected to get a warm-up match before the MCG event.
Broadcasters like the pink ball slot, and viewing figures for the Brisbane Ashes Test beat the matches in Perth and Adelaide. Cricket Australia is not tied to an annual pink ball Test through contracts with its host broadcasters, Seven and Fox.
Australia host Bangladesh and New Zealand in 2026/27, and none of those eight Tests are scheduled as day/night matches.
Day/night Tests were approved by the International Cricket Council in 2015, with the aim that audiences would be “encouraged and improved”.
Australia have leaned into the idea. Fourteen of the 25 day and night Tests played have been staged there. Their record is formidable too, with 14 wins from 15 worldwide. England have won two of seven, including four defeats in Australia.
On the eve of the Brisbane Test, Joe Root questioned whether the Ashes needed the format.
“A series like this, does it need it? I don’t think so, but it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be here either,” Root told Test Match Special.
The ball colour is not the only issue. In Australia, the pink and red balls are not seen as offering different levels of swing or seam. Batters talk far more about visibility under floodlights. Mitchell Starc has taken more wickets than any other bowler in day and night Tests, helped by the sheer volume of his spells in the format and the threat he poses at speeds above 87mph.
Warm-up fixtures are also on the table for future tours. England are expected to be offered better preparation matches ahead of the next Ashes in Australia. As first reported by The Cricketer, England would be offered a first class warm-up match at a venue of their choosing, linked to where the opening Test is staged. Australia will also get to pick the location of a warm-up match before the 2027 series in England.
England’s build-up to the most recent Ashes drew heavy criticism, with Brendon McCullum later acknowledging they “didn’t get it right”. Ben Stokes’ side played just one warm-up match, against an England Lions development XI at Lilac Hill, with conditions far removed from what they then faced at Perth Stadium.
