By Michael Davey
Former England batsman Mark Butcher has slammed the decision to not play any of next summer’s Ashes in the north of the country.
The five-match series against Australia begins at Trent Bridge before moving on to Lord’s, Edgbaston, the Kia Oval and – for the first time ever – the Utilita Bowl.
And although Headingley (Leeds) and Old Trafford (Manchester) have been allocated Ashes fixtures for the 2031 contest, Butcher remains unhappy that neither ground will feature next year.
England white-ball captain Harry Brook, meanwhile, has echoed those concerns.
Butcher slams choice of venues
After the 2027 Ashes venues were announced, Butcher explained his thoughts to Sky Sports.
“I think anybody but the most partisan Hampshire cricket supporter would recognise that in a sport – and particularly in a series like the Ashes, where the interest in the game is at its peak at any point over a four-year cycle – that the game being marketed as a game for everybody needs to have some representation and needs to have a game in the north,” he said.
“Whether that’s at Headingley or whether it’s at Old Trafford, that’s a point for the bean counters to decide or whoever’s turn that might be.
“I find it extraordinary that there’ll be no Ashes cricket up in the north of England beyond Trent Bridge next year.
“It’s bizarre.
“I also think that for visiting teams, there are five or six grounds that have an enormous amount of history when it comes to Ashes cricket.
“Sadly, the Utilita Bowl is not one of them.”
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Brook disappointed by Headingley omission
Asked how he felt about the news, Brook stated: “I think we’ve had a hell of a lot of success [at Headingley] in Test-match cricket.
“You go back to 2019 in the Ashes when Stokesy [Ben Stokes] played that ridiculous innings, then the last Ashes Test match a couple of years ago [in 2023] where we kept the Ashes alive.
“I personally love playing [at Headingley]. It’s a great venue.
“It’s one of my favourites, if not my favourite ground, to bat on as well.
“It is disappointing, but we don’t make those decisions – the hierarchy make them and we just get told where to play.”
England vs Australia Ashes fixtures
First Test: Friday June 18 to Tuesday June 22 (11am BST) – Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Second Test: Wednesday June 30 to Sunday July 4 (11am BST) – Lord’s, London
Third Test: Thursday July 8 to Monday July 12 (11am BST) – Edgbaston, Birmingham
Fourth Test: Wednesday July 21 to Sunday July 25 (11am BST) – Utilita Bowl, Southampton
Fifth Test: Thursday July 29 to Monday August 2 (11am BST) – The Kia Oval, London
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