ECB URGED TO CHANGE ASHES VENUES

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been urged to change it decision on the venues selected to hosts to the 2027 men’s Ashes.

The mayors of Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire have joined calls for a rethink after both Old Trafford and Headingley were not selected to host a Test in four years’ times.

Currently there are seven grounds hosting regular men’s Test cricket in this country, meaning that two miss out in a five-match Ashes series.

Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham and West Yorkshire’s Tracy Brabin have expressed their “disappointment” in a letter to ECB chair Richard Thompson regarding the controversial decision.

Southampton will host its first men’s Ashes Test in 2027, along with Lord’s, The Oval, Edgbaston and Trent Bridge in what will be the first time since 2015 that the Nottinghamshire ground has staged a men’s Ashes Test.

As it stands, the ongoing Test at Old Trafford will be the final men’s Ashes Test held north of Nottingham until 2031.

England captain Ben Stokes, who plays for Durham and grew up in Cumbria after moving from New Zealand as a child, said he was “devastated” by the decision.

Burnham and Brabin’s letter read, “Headingley and Old Trafford are two of England’s most iconic cricket grounds, and home to historic Ashes moments from Ian Botham’s heroics in 1981 to Ben Stokes’ ‘Miracle of Headingley’ in 2019.

“Very few grounds attract support as passionate or indeed as diverse as Headingley and Old Trafford – as a number of England players themselves have acknowledged in recent days.

“The rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire within cricket is legendary, but this is an issue that unites both sides of the Pennines.

“We urge you to think again and ensure people in the north of England get the opportunity to witness more iconic Ashes moments in 2027.

“We understand that the ECB’s criteria for awarding Test matches includes maximising attendances and ensuring a geographic spread of matches,” continues the letter from the mayors.

“It feels even more remarkable therefore that an area so passionate about cricket, comprising 14.9m people and covering 14,500 square miles, misses out on a men’s Ashes Test in 2027 whilst the south hosts three Tests.

“It does not feel right that, at a time when cricket needs to do more to spread interest in the game around the country, that London consistently hosts three Tests every summer.”