MCG to host one-off England-Australia clash to mark 150 years of Test cricket

England and Australia will play a one-off Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first Test match, contested by the two countries in 1877.
The match will take place in March 2027 at the MCG, which also held the centenary Test in 1977. Australia won the centenary Test by 45 runs — exactly the same margin of victory as in the first Test a hundred years before.
In 1977, England were bowled out for 95 in their first innings, in reply to Australia’s first innings score of 138. Two magnificent second-innings centuries by Australia’s Rod Marsh and England’s Derek Randall helped both sides score more than 400 in their second innings. England were bowled out for 417 in reply to Australia’s 419 for nine declared, with Dennis Lillee finishing the match with 11 wickets.
“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 historic occasion,” Nick Hockey, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, said.
The next Ashes series will take place in the winter of 2025/26. The series will start in Perth, rather than the traditional venue of the Gabba in Brisbane, which has hosted the first Test of the Ashes since 1982.
Cricket Australia announced their summer Test venue allocations on Sunday and confirmed that the MCG will continue to host the traditional Boxing Day Test and the New Year’s Test will remain at the Sydney Cricket Ground until at least 2031.
Adelaide will host the “Christmas Test” (which takes place shortly before Christmas) and although it has held pink-ball day/night Test in recent years, the Ashes Test in 2025 will be a traditional day Test. The day/night match in that Ashes series is expected to be the second Test in Brisbane.
The future of the Gabba stadium in Brisbane is uncertain because of disagreements about redevelopment before the 2032 Olympics. It will not host a Test for several years after the Ashes Test in 2025 while the area is prepared for the Olympic Games. The 2026-27 Australian season will be the first time in 50 years that the Gabba won’t host a Test.