Cricket Australia released the schedule for the Ashes with the men’s series starting from December 8 and the women’s series from January 27. The series will start later than usual because of the mandatory quarantine players will have to undergo after returning from the T20 World Cup in India.
The first Test will be followed by a day-night match at the Adelaide Oval on December 16. The teams will then head to MCG for the traditional Boxing Day Test. Sydney will host the new year’s Test, with Perth’s Optus Stadium getting the honours for the fifth Test on January 14-18.
Before the iconic series, Australia will host Afghanistan for the first-ever Test match between the two teams on November 27. Originally scheduled for the 2020-21 season, the match was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The CA is hoping to have the full crowds at the blockbuster event later this year but asserted they would follow the government guidelines. Australia has currently banned non-essential travel from the UK due to Covid-19.
“The lessons learned from successfully delivering a safe summer in 20-21 gives us confidence on what we’re able to achieve, and we’re all hoping for a summer of full crowds and an Ashes atmosphere we’re all accustomed to,”
Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia’s interim chief executive, stated.
“In a perfect world, we would welcome England fans back to these shores for a summer of singing and sportsmanship. Of course, we will be guided by the Australian Government on all things related to international travel,”
he added.
Australia currently hold the Urn after the Tim Paine-led side drew the five-match series in England in 2019. The 2019 Ashes was a breathtaking affair, with both the teams fighting tooth and nail in a 2-2 draw. Steve Smith piled on 774 runs in four Tests at an incredible average of 110.57, while Ben Stokes produced a knock to remember for ages.
“The Ashes is one of the great global sporting rivalries and seems to grow ever larger with each series and generation. We cannot wait to host England men over five Tests this summer.
The most recent men’s Ashes series was a remarkable contest that captured the imagination of the entire cricketing world and I expect this summer to be no different,”
Nick Hockley said.
England’s Test specialists are likely to leave for Australia early, with the multi-format players involved at the T20 World Cup joining later. The schedule for England’s warm-up matches has not been confirmed yet. England skipper Joe Root will have a challenge in front of him, who was a part of 0-4 drubbing at the hands of Australia in the last Ashes series down under in 2017.
Women’s Ashes series
The multi-format Ashes competition between Australia Women and England Women will begin on January 27 with the one-off Test at Manuka Oval in Canberra.
The two teams will then play three T20 Internationals on February 4, 6 and 10, followed by a three-match ODI series with matches scheduled on February 13, 16 and 19.
“2022 is going to be an amazing year for women’s cricket. With an Ashes, a World Cup in New Zealand and a home Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, this could be a landmark year for our team,”
said Tom Harrison, England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive.
Australia Women had won the previous Ashes series in an emphatic fashion with the margin of 12 points to 4. Heather Knight will lead England Women in a bid to regain the Ashes.
After the series concludes, both teams will travel to New Zealand for the 50-over Women’s World Cup, which was postponed from last year due to Covid-19.
