Dates and venues for 2023 Ashes series finally revealed

The dates and venues for the 2023 men’s and women’s Ashes have finally been unveiled, headlined by an “absurd” 138-year first.

Nic Savage

@nic_savage1

2 min read

September 21, 2022 - 11:01PM

Australian players celebrates with the trophy. Photo by William WEST / AFP

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The dates and venues for the 2023 men’s and women’s Ashes have finally been unveiled.

On Wednesday evening AEST, the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed the men’s Ashes would get underway at Trent Bridge on June 22, with the five-Test series wrapping up in London the following month.

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Australia, who thumped England 4-0 on home soil last summer, will be hoping to win the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001.

But in a 138-year first for the iconic series, no men’s Ashes Test will be played in August, ensuring England’s players are available for The Hundred competition.

Inevitably, the ECB’s decision to squeeze the sport’s prestigious contest into a seven-week window to accommodate for a domestic white-ball tournament did not sit comfortably with cricket traditionalists.

The gruelling Ashes schedule also leaves little wriggle room for traditional tour games against county outfits.

Absurd how next summer's Ashes is being rushed through by the end of July, away from traditional August window, to make way for The Hundred. As if the two are even remotely comparable in prestige.
— Oliver Brown (@oliverbrown_tel) September 21, 2022

So the ECB confirm that all the Ashes Tests next summer will be squeezed in and finish by the end of July to give a clear window for the Hundred in August.
A decision that is not being met with widespread approval.
— John Etheridge (@JohnSunCricket) September 21, 2022

Meanwhile, the women’s Ashes Test will be contested over five days at Trent Bridge, just the second women’s Test match of that length in history.

After the corresponding 2019 fixture, which was played on a used pitch in Taunton, ended as a draw, cricket pundits pleaded for women’s Test matches to be extended to five days, and those prayers have thankfully been answered.

“I’m so happy,” England captain Heather Knight told PA.

“I feel like I’ve been banging the drum for five days for a long time, so it’s a special moment. It feels like the right time, for five days, for bigger grounds, and it feels like it’s been a long time coming. Last year’s South Africa Test was set up nicely but withered out because of rain and it wasn’t given the chance to finish, so this is a really good step by the boards.”

The women’s Ashes will once again consist of a multi-format series featuring three T20Is, three ODIs and one Test match, with the champion to be determined via a points system.

“The Ashes series are among the most significant sporting events in world sport and we are looking forward to these highly anticipated contests in England next year,” Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said in a statement.

“There is no bigger challenge than retaining the Ashes away from home. There is huge excitement from our teams as they look to write themselves into Ashes folklore.

“While these series are on the horizon, we’re excited for the cricket immediately ahead this summer as our men’s team host England across two highly anticipated Dettol T20I and ODI Series either side of the T20 World Cup.”