ECB unveils 2027 schedule as Southampton awarded first-ever Ashes test match

[p]Trent Bridge will host the first ‌men's test, starting on June 18th, while the ‌first match of the multi-format women's series, the sole test ‌match, begins at Headingley on June 24th.[/p][p]Southampton will host ‌the fourth men's test starting on July 21st.[/p][p]A packed summer of cricket in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/UJC5mtAU/"]England[/a] will also include 10 ODIs for the ‌England men's team while the final of ⁠the World Test Championship ‌will take place at London's Oval.[/p][p]The men's and women's Ashes were ​also held at the same time in England in 2023, boosting crowds for the women's fixtures.[/p][p][b]"The ​last time [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/australia/OxG0JfXg/"]Australia[/a] were here made for captivating cricket, in a way that only the Ashes can provide, ⁠as both of our ​Men's and Women's teams fought back to level the series in dramatic circumstances," ECB Chief Executive Officer Richard Gould said in a statement.[/b][/p][p][b]"Next summer will see the men's team ‌play a Rothesay Ashes Test at the Utilita Bowl for the very first time, while the women's team will play an Ashes Test at Headingley for the first time since 2001."[/b][/p][embed guid="62c65a4e-0d26-4a35-929f-ed22fe1a264b" url="https://x.com/englandcricket/status/2080216351801823308" social-type="twitter" /][p]England's men will start their home season with a five-match ODI series against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pakistan/tS3K91g9/"]Pakistan[/a], starting at Southampton on May 15. England will also play a five-match ODI series against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-zealand/G6PWlrQB/"]New Zealand[/a] later in the ‌summer as well as a one-off test against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bangladesh/2of97jms/"]Bangladesh[/a] ​starting at Lord's on May 28th.[/p][p]The World Test Championship ‌final will start on June 9th, with the ECB confirming that the fixture will also be hosted in England in 2029 and 2031.[/p][p][b]"We ‌are honoured to be staging the next three ICC World Test Championship Finals, and ​we're pleased to confirm that The Oval will play host again next ‌year," Neil Snowball, ECB Managing Director, Competitions and Major Events, said.[/b][/p][p]Next year will be the 150th anniversary of test cricket, the game's longest format.[/p][h2]Men's Ashes series[/h2][p]1st test - June 18th-22nd - Trent Bridge[/p][p]2nd test - June 30th-July 4th - Lord's[/p][p]3rd ⁠test - July 8th-12th - Edgbaston[/p][p]4th ⁠test - July 21st-25th - Southampton[/p][p]5th ‌test - July 29th-August 2nd - London Oval[/p]