England to receive huge venue boost ahead of next year's Ashes as they look to regain the urn

England are set to receive a huge psychological boost in their desperate bid to regain the Ashes as the first Test of the highly-anticipated series next year is unlikely to take place at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Australia have usually played their first Test of the season at the Gabba, often referred to as their fortress. However, the Gabba is unlikely to remain the traditional venue for the curtain-raiser of Australia's Test summer because of a long-term staging agreement.

Due to the agreement, the Optus Stadium in Perth looks set to host the first Ashes Test next year, according to The Telegraph. If it indeed happens, it will be the first time since 1982 that the first Ashes Test in Australia would not be played in Brisbane. Perth has signed a deal to host the first Test of the next six seasons.

Last year, the first Test against Pakistan took place in Perth and Australia's five-match series against India later this year will also begin at the same venue. And it is highly likely that the first Test between Australia and England will also played in Perth.

England's dismal record at the Gabba:

England have a terrible record at the Gabba. They have not won a Test match at the venue since 1986. More often than not, England performed poorly at the venue and it set the tone for the rest of the Ashes series. In 2002, Nasser Hussain had bizarrely opted to bowl first only to see Australia pile up 364 for 2 in one day before going on to win the game by 384 runs.

4 years later, Steve Harmison had started his spell with a wide and the ball had gone straight to the fielder at the second slip. Recently in 2021, Rory Burns was bowled behind his legs on the first ball from Mitchell Starc. Overall, England have lost seven and drawn two of their games in Brisbane since the win in 1986.

On the other hand, Australia have a stunning record at the venue. They had not lost a Test at the Gabba between 1989 and 2019 before India ended their incredible unbeaten streak. Meanwhile, England will be desperate to regain the urn by winning the series against Australia. They have not won the Ashes since 2015 while their last series victory in Australia came during the 2010-11 season.