England are unlikely to have to play a pink-ball day-night Test when they tour Australia in 2029-30 as the ECB and Cricket Australia look to ensure future Ashes series are more competitive.
This winter’s Ashes was decided in only 11 days, with millions of Australian dollars of revenue lost from short matches (the first and fourth Tests only lasted two days each) and plans are already under way to make the next one down under more evenly contested.
Those plans include giving the visitors adequate preparation time in suitable venues and removing the day-night element from the five-Test series — Australia have an extremely impressive pink-ball record of 14 wins from 15 Tests — including four from four against England across the past four Ashes series in Australia.
Day-night Tests are popular with broadcasters because they attract the evening viewers in Australia and the early morning viewers in the UK. However, there are many within both the governing bodies who believe they do not produce a high-quality contest and are not needed to try to attract spectators to the ground because Ashes Tests usually sell out regardless.
England are not due to play any day-night Tests in the next four-year international calendar cycle and although no firm agreement has been made between the two governing bodies, it is likely that the next Ashes series will consist of five traditional day matches.
The ECB and Cricket Australia have also put in place an agreement about the quality and quantity of warm-up matches both prior to the 2027 Ashes in England and the next series in Australia, in which England will have a choice of first-class venues before the first Test, likely to be between the WACA in Perth or Allan Border Field in Brisbane. Similarly, Australia will be able to pick a first-class ground in England for a warm-up match prior to the 2027 Ashes.
Ali to postpone retirement to play T20 for Yorkshire
Moeen Ali is set to reverse his decision to retire from English domestic cricket by playing for Yorkshire in this year’s T20 Blast.
The former England all-rounder pulled out of last year’s Hundred tournament and had planned to retire from county cricket when his contract with Warwickshire expired at the end of the 2025 season. However, he will now play T20 cricket for Yorkshire this season, where he will link up with his close friend Adil Rashid, the England leg spinner with whom he co-hosts a podcast.
Ali featured for Birmingham Phoenix in the first four years of the Hundred but pulled out of the tournament last year because of other commitments
GODFREY PITT/REX
Ali, 38, had already announced his retirement from international cricket in September 2024, having not played for England since their loss in that year’s T20 World Cup semi-final. However, he remained a T20 specialist and at present is playing for Sylhet Titans in the Bangladesh Premier League, having already represented the Gulf Giants in the UAE’s ILT20 this winter.
He remains in demand on the franchise circuit but a gap in his franchise schedule means he is free to play in the T20 Blast, which runs throughout June and July, although it has not yet been confirmed whether that will extend to playing in the Hundred.
He featured for Birmingham Phoenix in the first four years of the competition but pulled out of the tournament last year because of other commitments. He may now, however, be persuaded to play for the newly renamed Sunrisers Leeds — previously Northern Superchargers.
They have appointed a new head coach, with the former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori replacing Andrew Flintoff, who resigned from the role after failing to reach an agreement over a new contract with the new owners The Sun Group.
Under new arrangements in the Hundred for the 2026 season and with new private ownership in place, teams can directly recruit some players before the player auction in March. They have already announced that they will be retaining the England white-ball captain Harry Brook but still have room on their roster if they wanted to recruit Ali.