The 74th Ashes series has begun, with the first Test taking place in Perth on November 21 and Australia coming out as the victor over England — as is our habit. Next, the teams are facing off in Brisbane on December 4. Read on to find out everything you need to know about it.
What is The Ashes format?
The Ashes is a five-match Test series, which take place every 2 years, between Australia and England. Each side takes turns to host the series, and this is Australia’s year.
Each game can last five days at most, and can end in an Australia win (fingers crossed), an England win, a draw or a tie. The team that wins the most Tests wins the overall series and becomes holder of the Ashes or, it it ends in a draw, the current holders — in this case, Oz — would retain the Ashes.
In fact, the 2023 series ended in a 2-2 draw, but Australia had won the previous one four years ago, so we managed to keep the urn. If this happened again, or if Australia won the series, we will have held it for five series, aka a full decade!
How does this series look?
Australia are going into it as favourites, having held the Ashes since 2017, and we won the first Test in Perth. England’s last three visits to Australia have seen them defeated, and the last time the away side won was England in 2010-2011.
However, our side faces some uncertainty in the batting line-up as well as injuries to key bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, so anything could happen. One thing is for certain, this will make for a competitive series!
Where are the Tests taking place?
The first Test took place on November 21 at Optus Stadium in Perth, with Australia defeating England by eight wickets in under two days.
This was the first time a Test is hosted at Optus Stadium rather than the Waca. It was also the first time an Ashes series started away from The Gabba since 1982-1983. Our beloved Gabba has seen Australia win 13 out of 22 Ashes Tests, with an unbroken winning streak since ’86. This series’ match will be a day-night match using a pink ball and floodlights at the ground, also a first at The Gabba.
The teams will play the third Test at the Adelaide Oval, followed by the traditional Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, before reaching the series’ conclusion at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
2025 Ashes schedule
- November 21, 10:20am — Perth, Optus Stadium (Australia victory)
- December 4, 2pm — Brisbane, The Gabba
- December 17, 10:30am — Adelaide, Adelaide Oval
- December 26, 11am — Melbourne, Melbourne Cricket Ground
- January 4, 11am — Sydney, Sydney Cricket Ground
All times are local.
Where to watch
If you can’t make it to the games, and would rather watch from home, Channel Seven and Foxtel share the TV broadcast rights, and both will show every ball.
The Gabba
Want to see the action live?
There are still some tickets left for Day 4 (and, of course, you can keep an eye out for resalers), which range in price from $94 to $193 per person, depending on location.
If you’re headed to The Gabba, it’s important to know there is no parking available, but you can get there through public transport, and having a ticket to certain events even allows you to travel for free!