Ashes

When does the 2025-26 Ashes start? Everything you need to know ahead of Perth opener

As enjoyable as it was watching Phil Salt and Harry Brook belting the ball around the Hagley Oval during the second T20 international against New Zealand on Monday morning, it is difficult to not find yourself wishing time on for the main course this winter to arrive.

by
Dom Harris
21 October 2025

Well we are edging ever closer, with now exactly one month to go before Australia and England lock horns Down Under in what is set to be an enthralling Ashes series between two seemingly evenly-matched teams.

With excitement, and perhaps a little apprehension, building by the day, the Cricket Paper takes a run through of all the key questions ahead of the 74th instalment of the Ashes.

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When does the Ashes start?

The all-important question.

The 2025-26 NRMA Insurance Ashes series gets underway with the West Test at Perth Stadium from November 21-25 (02:30am UK start time).

This is the first time Perth has hosted an Ashes opener in 43 years and will also be the first Ashes contest at the impressive Optus Stadium which opened in 2018, having originally been scheduled to host the fifth Test of the 2020-21 series until strict quarantine restrictions during the Covid pandemic forced a relocation to Hobart.

Tickets for day one and two at the 61,000-seater stadium – the third largest sporting venue in the country – have been exhausted on Cricket Australia’s official online platform.

Australia won their first four Tests at Perth Stadium, though were beaten by India in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in November 2024, with all five Test matches played to date being won by the team batting first.

England’s record at the former WACA Ground did not make for pleasant reading, with a triumph in 1978 the sole success in 14 visits and a run which concluded with eight consecutive defeats – the ground in which Australia regained the urn in both the 2013-14 and 2017-18 series.

What are the dates and times for the full Ashes schedule?

1st Test: November 21-25: Perth (02:30 GMT)

2nd Test: December 4-8: Brisbane (04:30 GMT)

3rd Test: December 17-21: Adelaide (00:00 GMT)

4th Test: December 26-30: Melbourne (Dec 25 – 23:30 GMT)

5th Test: January 4-8: Sydney (Jan 3 – 23:30 GMT)

Is there a Day-Night Test match?

Yes, Australia will host a day-night Test for the third Ashes series in a row, having won on all previous occasions in rather comprehensive style (Adelaide 2017-18, Adelaide 2020-21 and Hobart 2020-21).

The second Test at the Gabba will be the location for the pink ball encounter this time around played between December 4-8, in what is the first time since 1982-83 that Brisbane has not launched an Ashes summer – insert flashbacks of Steve Harmison’s tone-setting wide to second slip in 2006 and Mitchell Starc bowling Rory Burns around his legs four years ago.

The Gabba – set to be demolished after the 2032 Olympics – has previously hosted three day-night Test matches, the latter of which in 2024 proved a notable one as a Shamar Joseph-inspired West Indies sprung a monumental upset to edge a pulsating Test by just eight runs.

Unsurprisingly day-night Tests have become more popular in Australia than any other nation, given that defeat to West Indies was a blemish on an otherwise formidable pink ball record in winning 12 out of 13 home Tests, whereas England have only hosted on one occasion against West Indies at Edgbaston in 2017.

At a ground regarded as a fortress to the hosts, thanks to a 31-match unbeaten streak in Test cricket between 1988-2021, it is unsurprising that England also have a miserable record there too with just four wins in 22 Tests, though Alastair Cook’s remarkable unbeaten 235 to salvage an unlikely draw at the start of the successful 2010-11 tour provides a standout memory in more recent visits.

World Test Championship cycle so far

Whilst the urn is the ultimate prize, the Ashes series does form part of the wider ICC World Test Championship cycle in which both sides will be aiming to accrue a significant number of points over the course of the five-match series.

Australia, who were defeated by South Africa in the final at Lord’s in June, have made the perfect start to the 2025-27 cycle after a 3-0 whitewash over the West Indies in the Caribbean as they aim to regain the Test Mace they previously won in 2023.

England, on the other hand, have failed to reach the biennial showpiece final on home soil in any of the three cycles to date and again were faced with an all-action start to the new campaign with bumper series against India and Australia.

Whilst a 2-2 draw over an absorbing series at home to India landed slightly more on the encouraging than concerning side still, it does mean that any repeat away Ashes drubbings will force England into playing catch-up with the top two once more during the remainder of the cycle.

What happened when the two sides last met?

The 2023 Ashes was a truly gripping summer of Test match cricket and lit the fuse for the upcoming series to be one of the most highly-anticipated and potentially competitive Ashes series on Australian shores in memory.

The Aussies raced into a 2-0 lead, following a dramatic final-day victory at Edgbaston and a controversy-fuelled win at Lord’s, before England hit back at Headingley and were then left frustrated as only the rainy Manchester weather prevented setting up a certain decider.

A series-levelling win at the Oval was not enough to prise the strong Australian grip off the urn for the first time since 2017, though it did maintain an unbeaten home Ashes record spanning six series since 2005.

The 2-2 scoreline was also a repeat from four years earlier in England, having previously not been a drawn series since 1972, meaning the overall Ashes record currently stands at 34 Australia wins to England’s 32 and seven draws.

The most recent encounter in Australia in 2021-22 was a much more one-sided affair, with Rory Burns written into Ashes folklore by becoming only the second player in history after Thomas Worthington in 1936 to be dismissed off the very first ball of the series – a nightmare beginning which never really showed signs of improving.

Australia cantered into an unassailable 3-0 lead, before England clung on in Sydney by the skin of their teeth to salvage an ounce of pride which was duly squashed with another resounding victory for the hosts in the final Test to complete a 4-0 rout.

How difficult is winning in Australia?

The gulf between series scores in England compared to Australia over the past two decades highlights just how formidable the latter have been, and continue to be, in home conditions.

Since England’s famous 3-1 triumph in 2010-11, they have not come close to registering even a single Test victory over the course of their past three Ashes tours, whereas Australia have won two Tests on each of their previous three trips.

Australia have historically been far more ruthless at home, winning a total of 90 out of 172 Ashes Tests in comparison to England’s 54 from 173 at home where the draw has been the most common result at 38.7%.

Australia have only lost 10 out of 71 home Test matches since the 2010-11 Ashes, winning eight of their past 10 series, whilst the 3-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy success in 2024-25 was remarkably the first time the Aussies have conceded a match in a winning home series since 2007-08 which was also against India.

How are the two sides shaping up?

Both teams are looking strong but equally with uncertainty in the air which makes the series all the more intriguing.

Australia face a major blow with captain Pat Cummins a major injury doubt for the beginning of the series at the least which will put more pressure on the form, and most importantly fitness of the rest of their bowling group.

Meanwhile, questions remain as to who will open alongside Usman Khawaja – likely Sam Konstas or Marnus Labuschagne – and whether Cameron Green will maintain his position at number three, or be moved down the order should he be able to fulfil the all-rounder role.

As for England, they know their chances may largely hinge on the availability of their own talismanic captain Ben Stokes to play all five Tests as an all-rounder and all eyes will be on the management of their injury-prone quick bowlers, especially Jofra Archer and the returning Mark Wood.

In what has been a rather settled side during the Brendon McCullum era, debates rumble on as to whether Jacob Bethell will displace Ollie Pope at number three and a decision will need to be made between Shoaib Bashir or Test rookie Will Jacks for the frontline spin option, unless England opt to unleash an all-out pace attack from the off.

How many of England’s squad have previous Ashes experience Down Under?

They say experience is key for high pressure moments in sport, though given England’s recent record in Australia, it is perhaps not a bad thing that many of their 16-man squad are arriving for their first taste of Ashes cricket Down Under.

Of the touring party, only five have survived from the 2021-22 squad and have played in an away Ashes before – Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Mark Wood.

For Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts and Jamie Smith, this will all be their first opportunity to play in an Ashes series.

This will also be the first time since 2006-07 that England have landed in Australia for an Ashes series without new ball duo James Anderson or Stuart Broad in their ranks.

Who could be playing in their last Ashes series?

The intense nature of an Ashes battle is often the pinnacle for a player to bow out of their international career – Stuart Broad’s match-winning wicket at the Oval in 2023 was the perfect ending for an England legend who epitomised the competitive Ashes spirit.

Four years is a long time in Test cricket and given their injury record, this will almost certainly be Ben Stokes (34) and Mark Wood’s (35) final foray Down Under for an Ashes series, though the one-off 150th anniversary Test at the MCG in March 2027 and subsequent home series that summer should still firmly be on their radars.

As the only other member of the group in their mid-30s, Joe Root will turn 35 on the final day of the Boxing Day Test, so he will be approaching 40 by the time the next Ashes tour comes around, though it is difficult to comprehensively rule out his involvement in 2029-30 given his form shows no sign of slowing down.

As for Australia, this very much feels like approaching the end of an era, and the makeup of their squad could look different come the time to tour England in 2027, let alone when they next host an Ashes series in four years down the line.

A team with an average age pushing 34 is one of the oldest in Test history, almost exclusively above the age of 30 with the exception of Cameron Green (26) and potentially Sam Konstas (20), meaning this could likely be a final swansong in Ashes cricket for many of their big name players such as Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc among others, as it was for opener David Warner in 2023.

Potential milestones to track

We cannot mention milestones without bringing up Joe Root’s quest to score a maiden Test century in Australia after 27 unsuccessful attempts to date and a high score of 89 in 2021.

A narrative that has and will continue to dominate the build-up to the series, as for some it is a necessary achievement to cement his place as an all-time great of the game – as if over 13,500 Test runs is not enough – and we know former Australia opener Matthew Hayden is firmly counting on it finally coming to fruition this time around.

With 2,428 runs to his name, Root is also in striking distance of leapfrogging a number of England greats on the all-time Ashes scoring charts, such as Geoff Boycott and Graham Gooch, whilst Australia’s Steve Smith is only 220 runs away from surpassing Jack Hobbs into second on the list, only behind Don Bradman.

Elsewhere, Ben Duckett (2,872) and Harry Brook (2,820) are both closing in on 3,000 career Test match runs.

In the bowling department, Mitchell Starc needs just three dismissals to join 20 other players in taking 100 Ashes wickets, whilst his captain Cummins needs nine should he be fit to play a role and Josh Hazlewood is only five away from reaching the 300 club in Test cricket – he will become the fourth active member of the Australia squad to do so.

Will there be a white-ball series to follow?

As was the case four years ago, there will be no corresponding white-ball series between the two sides either before or after the Ashes.

Australia are currently facing India at home in 3 ODI’s and 5 T20’s which will conclude on November 8, whilst England have stopped off in New Zealand on their way to play three T20s and three ODIs between October 18-November 1, before facing the England Lions side in a warm-up match starting on November 13.

Once the fifth Test in Sydney concludes on January 8, there will be two weeks until England then begin a white ball series in Sri Lanka in preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka between February-March as they aim for a potentially memorable period in the Brendon McCullum tenure.