2027 Ashes Series Excludes Northern England Grounds

England. No games of the prestigious Ashes Test series against Australia in 2027 will be held in Northern England. According to the schedule released by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Old Trafford in Manchester and Headingley in Leeds have not been given the opportunity to host matches this time. Old Trafford and Headingley are grounds that have witnessed some of the most exciting and historic matches in Ashes history. One of cricket's greatest batsmen, Don Bradman, scored double centuries twice at Headingley in the 1930s. Similarly, England's great all-rounder Ian Botham had unforgettable performances at both these grounds in the 1981 Ashes series. In the 2019 Ashes series, Ben Stokes scored an unbeaten century at Headingley, giving England a historic one-wicket victory. However, the decision to remove these historic grounds from the 2027 Ashes schedule was criticized in 2023 by the then Mayor of Greater Manchester and current British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Five Tests in the Midlands and Southern England ECB released the schedule on Thursday, stating that all five Tests of the 2027 Ashes series will be played only in grounds in the Midlands and Southern England. The first Test of the series will be held at Trent Bridge in Nottingham from June 18. According to tradition, the second Test will be held at Lord's from June 30, and the third Test will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 8. The fourth Test of the series will be held at the Rose Bowl ground in Hampshire, near Southampton, from July 21. This will be the first time this ground hosts a men's Ashes Test. With this, the Rose Bowl will become the tenth ground in Britain to host an Ashes Test. The final fifth Test of the series will be held from July 29 to August 2 at The Oval in South London. Opportunity again in 2031 Both Old Trafford and Headingley grounds will host Test matches again in the 2031 Ashes series. Latest Results In the 2025-26 Ashes series, Australia defeated England 4-1 on their home ground. The last Ashes series held in England ended in a 2-2 draw in 2023. England last won the Ashes series at home in 2015 by 3-2. England also has a schedule to play a single Test against Bangladesh at Lord's from May 28. Similarly, the 2027 World Test Championship (WTC) final will be held at The Oval from June 9. This will be the second time the ground hosts the World Test Championship final.