Cricket Australia has announced it will host England in a one-off test at the MCG in 2027, in an event that will mark 150 years of test cricket between the two nations.

The match is scheduled for March 2027, exactly a century and a half since the first meeting between two of the sport’s biggest rivals.

Cricket Australia (CA) announced the test along with its other fixtures for men’s international cricket until 2031. CA CEO Nick Hockley made the announcement over the weekend.

“The 150th anniversary Test match at the MCG in March 2027 will be a wonderful celebration of the pinnacle format of the game at one of the world’s great sporting arenas and we can’t wait to host England on that occasion,” he said.

This test match follows the 1977 centenary test which was played during mid-March and resulted in Australia winning by 45 runs. That match was not officially classed as an Ashes test however, as the urn was not there to be won. It is yet to be confirmed whether that will remain in the 2027 edition.

The MCG and the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) retained their famous Boxing Day and New Year’s tests respectively, while Perth will be the first test of the summer for the next three seasons. This means that for the first time in over 40 years, the Gabba won’t kick start an Ashes series, but was given a test match against India this summer, as well as a day-night game for the second Ashes test next summer.

Cricket Australia chairman Mike Baird said the uncertainty around the venue has shadowed its cricket future.

“In Brisbane it is harder [to plan] because of the infrastructure. There is just uncertainty, so we’re not sure of the long-term solution,” he said.

The next Ashes series is set to take place over the summer of 2025/26, as Australia look to retain the urn on home soil.

The Ashes Cricket by Drew Douglas is available HERE and is used under a Creative Commons License. This image has not been modified.