The 2027 Ashes series will not feature a men’s Test in northern England, with the historic rivalry set to miss out on regular venues such as Old Trafford and Headingley. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) awarded the upcoming Test to Hampshire after the county lost its scheduled 2023 fixture to Headingley.
Venues such as Old Trafford in Manchester and Headingley in Leeds have traditionally hosted Ashes matches. However, the 2023 venue allocations were made through a competitive bidding process. The ECB later switched to a rotation system to distribute matches more evenly across the country through 2031.
Legal Dispute Led to Hampshire’s 2027 Ashes Test
According to The Guardian, Hampshire challenged the ECB after losing its scheduled Ashes Test in 2023 to Headingley. The county claimed it had been promised its first Ashes Test at the Rose Bowl during a meeting of the 18 first-class counties in 2018.
The original plan was for Old Trafford and Headingley to host one Ashes Test each across the 2023 and 2027 series. Hampshire was also set to join Edgbaston, Lord’s and the Oval as a host in 2023.
However, a four-member independent panel later recommended moving Hampshire’s Test to Headingley, where England beat Australia by three wickets in the third Test. Hampshire then took legal action against the ECB.
The dispute was eventually settled out of court, with the governing body paying the county more than £1 million in damages. Hampshire were subsequently awarded a men’s Ashes Test in 2027, when the Utilita Bowl in Southampton will host Australia for the first time in the series.
Colin Graves Denies Role in Headingley Decision
The 2023 Ashes venues were announced in 2018 when Colin Graves was the ECB chair. Graves had previously served as Yorkshire’s executive chair from 2012 to 2015 before moving to the national governing body. He returned to Headingley as Yorkshire chair in 2024 to help the club deal with its financial problems.
Graves has denied playing any role in the decision to award Hampshire’s 2023 Test to Headingley. He told The Guardian that an independent host venue panel used a balanced scorecard system to assess international match allocations.
“I always left the room when their recommendations were discussed by the board. I was not involved,” Graves said.
ECB Changes Ashes Venue Allocation System
The 2027 Ashes will have Trent Bridge in Nottingham as the most northerly men’s venue. Lord’s, the Oval, Edgbaston, and the Utilita Bowl will host the other four Tests, while Headingley will stage the only women’s Ashes Test next summer.
The decision to leave both Headingley and Old Trafford out of the men’s series has attracted criticism. England captain Joe Root described Headingley’s absence as a “shame”, while former captain Ben Stokes called it “scandalous”.
From 2031, the ECB plans to ensure that at least one men’s Ashes Test is played in northern England. Southampton is also expected to receive a men’s Test in every other Ashes series.
Hampshire have hosted international cricket at the Utilita Bowl since 2003, including Tests against India and Sri Lanka. The county also hosted three Tests and three T20Is behind closed doors during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
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