In March 2027, Australia and England will face off in a one-off Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to commemorate 150 years of Test cricket. Cricket Australia (CA) recently confirmed this historic fixture as part of broader announcements, including seven-year agreements with the MCG, Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), and Adelaide Oval to host regular Tests.
This anniversary match will echo the Centenary Test of 1977, which Australia won by 45 runs, mirroring the margin of victory in the very first Test played in 1877. In that 1977 match, Rod Marsh and Derek Randall both scored centuries, while Dennis Lillee took 11 wickets.
The agreements also secure the annual Boxing Day Test at the MCG and the New Year’s Test in Sydney until the 2030-31 season. Adelaide Oval has locked in a seven-year commitment for a pre-Christmas Test slot after a bid by the South Australian government for the New Year’s Test.
Although the current Future Tours Programme (FTP) extends only to early 2027, England and India have confirmed tours for the subsequent four years. Meanwhile, Perth’s Optus Stadium will host the opening Test of the season for the next three years, starting with the Ashes series next year, which will begin in Perth rather than the traditional venue, the Gabba in Brisbane. New Zealand will also tour at the start of the 2026-27 season.
The future of the Gabba remains uncertain due to redevelopment plans ahead of the 2032 Olympics. Currently, only the next two seasons are confirmed, featuring matches against India and England, and there is a possibility that the Gabba may not host a Test for an extended period thereafter. The 2026-27 season will be the first in 50 years without a Test at the Gabba.
Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird mentioned the challenges in planning due to the infrastructure issues at the Gabba. He noted that the Gabba's current facilities have a limited lifespan, ending in 2030, and pinpointed the need for a long-term solution that would support both Queensland Cricket and Australian Cricket.
Adelaide, traditionally known for hosting day-night Tests, has not been guaranteed pink-ball matches in the new agreement, although the 2025-26 Ashes Test in Brisbane will be a day-night affair, with Adelaide hosting a red-ball Test. Adelaide Oval will also continue to host a New Year's Eve BBL game for the next seven years.
England is set to tour Australia for a five-match Ashes series in 2025-26, followed by New Zealand in 2026-27. The series against New Zealand will expand to four Tests, with matches in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. Australia will then tour India for five Tests in early 2027.
The addition of the anniversary Test in March 2027 may create scheduling challenges, as Australia is also due to host Bangladesh for two World Test Championship matches during that period. These matches might be rescheduled, but under the current WTC structure, they need to be played before the June 2027 final.
While rival states made attempts to claim the marquee Christmas and New Year Tests from Melbourne and Sydney, such an outcome was always unlikely. However, beyond the 2026-27 season, other venues like Hobart and Canberra may have opportunities to host a Test if the Gabba is unavailable. Tasmania, in particular, has plans to host indoor Test cricket at a proposed new multipurpose stadium, though it won’t be ready until at least 2028.
The staging agreements confirmed on Sunday are among the last major initiatives overseen by outgoing CA CEO Nick Hockley, who announced his departure next March.
A future schedule for women’s internationals will be finalised in the coming months, along with the next FTP, but Adelaide has already secured an ODI or T20I each season.
Cricket Australia's Confirmed Match Allocations
- New South Wales (2024/25 to 2030/31): Men's New Year’s Test each summer.
- Queensland (2024/25 & 2025/26): 1 Men's Test before December 30 each summer and 1 Men's ODI/T20I each summer.
- South Australia (2024/25 to 2030/31): Men's Day/Night Test vs India (2024/25), Men's Christmas Test (2025/26 to 2030/31), 1 Men's ODI/T20I each summer, 1 Women’s T20/ODI each summer, and BBL match on New Year's Eve each summer.
- Victoria (2024/25 to 2030/31): Men's Boxing Day Test each summer, Women’s 90th Anniversary Day/Night Test vs England in 2024/25, and Men's 150th Anniversary Test vs England in 2026/27.
- Western Australia (2024/25 to 2026/27): First Men's Test each summer and 1 Men's ODI/T20I each summer.