2027 Ashes venue gap in northern England linked to 2023 Headingley switch

The decision to leave northern England without a men's Ashes Test in 2027 stems from the transfer of a planned Southampton fixture to Headingley for the 2023 series, BBC Sport reported. Hampshire's Utilita Bowl will stage its first men's Ashes Test next year, while neither Headingley in Leeds nor Old Trafford in Manchester has been allocated a match.

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According to the BBC report by cricket correspondent Stephan Shemilt, Southampton had originally been due to host Australia in 2023 before the fixture was moved. The Guardian first reported the switch. Hampshire received more than £1 million in compensation from the England and Wales Cricket Board and was subsequently awarded a Test in the 2027 Ashes series.

Neither Hampshire nor the ECB has commented on the matter, the BBC reported. The venues for the 2023 series were announced in 2018, during Colin Graves' tenure as ECB chairman. Graves, who had previously chaired Yorkshire and now holds that role again, told the Guardian that he was not involved in allocating matches and left board discussions when recommendations were considered.

Those allocations took place under the ECB's former competitive-tender model, in which grounds effectively submitted financial bids to secure fixtures. The governing body has since replaced that process with a rotation system that it considers fairer. All 18 first-class counties and Marylebone Cricket Club backed the newer arrangement, which was used to allocate major matches through 2031.

For the 2027 men's series, Trent Bridge in Nottingham will be the northernmost venue. The omission of both Leeds and Manchester follows two home Ashes series in which Headingley and Old Trafford each staged a men's Test. Headingley will still host Ashes cricket next year, having been assigned the only women's Test of the series.

The longer-term allocation plans include a return to northern England for the men's competition. From 2031, the ECB intends to stage at least one men's Ashes Test in the north, while Southampton is set to receive a men's Test in alternate Ashes series. The Utilita Bowl's 2027 fixture will make it the tenth UK ground to host a men's Ashes Test.