Cricket News | Ashes stadium selection criticised by Ben Stoked

An iconic stadium won't be hosting a Test match in next year's Ashes

Headingley is joining Old Trafford in not hosting England v Australia 

Author | Michael Handsworth

Ben Stokes has joined Joe Root in questioning the choice of venues for next summer’s Ashes, describing it as “shambolic” that Headingley will not stage a Test.

Root, who preceded and later succeeded Stokes as England captain, said “it would be nice to have a choice” over the grounds at which his side play, with Yorkshire set to miss out on Test cricket until 2029.

England’s emphatic victory over Pakistan was their seventh successive win in Leeds, extending their longest active winning run at any ground in world cricket.

Yet they will not return to Headingley for a men’s Test for another three years, meaning they will be denied the opportunity to use their remarkable record at the ground during next summer’s home Ashes series.

The England captain wants to become more of a legend

For Root, the innings victory over Pakistan inside three days provided the perfect start to his second spell as captain.

View from the stands | England v Pakistan at Headingley

It also extended England’s remarkable winning run at Headingley, which stretches back to 2018. Their next-best sequence of victories at a single ground is six at Chester-le-Street.

The decision to leave Headingley and Old Trafford out of the venues for the 2027 Ashes was announced in 2023.

However, the allocation of matches has come under renewed scrutiny following confirmation of next year’s schedule in July.

Trent Bridge in Nottingham will be the most northerly venue to stage a men’s Ashes Test, while Southampton will host an England-Australia Test for the first time. Headingley, meanwhile, has been allocated a women’s Ashes Test.

Watch | The final day of the Headingley Test I  2019

Headingley hosted men’s Ashes Tests in 2019 and 2023, with England winning both. The 2019 victory, inspired by Stokes, ranks among the most memorable contests in Ashes history and is often mentioned alongside Ian Botham’s heroics at the same ground in 1981.