How the 2021-22 summer of cricket should look

The Ashes will be contested next summer here in Australia, between Australia and England.

The Ashes is a 138-year-old rivalry, with the first official Ashes encounter played in 1882 at the Oval in London, five years after the first ever Test match was played in 1877 at the MCG. Since 1998 every Ashes series has consisted of five Test matches, with some series containing six or seven Tests.

But for next year’s series, five Test matches are scheduled to be played. The ICC Future Tours Program lists the Australian men’s team to host Sri Lanka in three T20s, England in five Tests and South Africa in three ODIs and three T20s.

But this summer CA delayed the series against Afghanistan and New Zealand, so those series are likely to be played next summer as well. In addition, the T20 World Cup will be played in India from mid-October to mid-November.

This is how the Australian summer of cricket should look in 2021-22, with men’s and women’s internationals and Big Bash.

Men’s international fixtures
The white-ball series against Sri Lanka and South Africa should be delayed until the following summer and Australia should play New Zealand in three ODIs and three T20s in early October before the T20 World Cup.

Then the last week in November, Australia should host Afghanistan in the sole Test that was originally planned. The five-Test Ashes series should take place from mid-December until the weekend after Australia Day in late January, followed by three ODIs and five T20s in February, succeeding the Tests.

This is how the fixtures should be dated.

Three ODIs and three T20s versus New Zealand
First ODI – Saturday 2 October at Optus Stadium, Perth – 1:30pm local time
Second ODI – Monday 4 October at the Adelaide Oval – 2:00pm local time
Third ODI – Thursday 7 October at UTAS Stadium, Launceston – 2:30pm local time

First T20 – Saturday 9 October at Bellerive Oval, Hobart – 7:30pm local time
Second T20 – Monday 11 October at the Melbourne Cricket Ground – 7:30pm local time
Third T20 – Wednesday 13 October at the Sydney Cricket Ground – 7:30pm local time

Sole Test versus Afghanistan
Wednesday 24 to Sunday 28 November at Manuka Oval, Canberra (D/N) – 2:30pm local time

The Ashes
First Test – Thursday 16 to Monday 20 December at Optus Stadium, Perth (D/N) – 1:30pm local time
Second Test – Sunday 26 to Wednesday 30 December at the Melbourne Cricket Ground – 10:30am local time
Third Test – Thursday 6 to Monday 10 January at the Sydney Cricket Ground (D/N) – 2:30pm local time
Fourth Test – Friday 14 to Tuesday 18 January at the Adelaide Oval – 10:00am local time
Fifth Test – Wednesday 26 to Sunday 30 January at the Gabba, Brisbane – 10:00am local time

(Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

Three ODIs and five T20s versus England
First ODI – Friday 4 February at Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast – 1:30pm local time
Second ODI – Sunday 6 February at Manuka Oval, Canberra – 2:30pm local time
Third ODI – Wednesday 9 February at Bellerive Oval, Hobart – 2:30pm local time

First T20 – Saturday 12 February at Optus Stadium, Perth – 5:00pm local time
Second T20 – Tuesday 15 February at the Adelaide Oval – 7:00pm local time
Third T20 – Friday 18 February at the Gabba, Brisbane – 6:30pm local time
Fourth T20 – Sunday 20 February at the Melbourne Cricket Ground – 7:30pm local time
Fifth T20 – Tuesday 22 February at the Sydney Cricket Ground – 7:30pm local time

A trans-Tasman series would be the perfect way to kick off the summer, also as a warm-up for the T20 World Cup. Then Canberra should host the Test against Afghanistan and it shall be a day nighter.

The Ashes should start in mid-December for the first time in over a century. This gives the series more a holiday feel with it played throughout the school holidays and beyond Australia Day with two day-night Test matches, with Sydney getting its first day-night Test, which would be a thriller.

A Test match on Australia Day would also be awesome. Then it moves to the white-ball matches, including an ODI on the Gold Coast for the first time followed by Canberra and Hobart. Then the T20 matches would be played at the five major Test venues.

Women’s international fixtures
The women’s Ashes has been contested since 1934. Up until 2010 it was played with Tests only, but since 2013, the women’s Ashes has been played across three formats with Tests, ODIs and T20s.

This is how the fixtures should be dated.

The Ashes – Tests
First Test – Wednesday 17 to Saturday 20 November at Bellerive Oval, Hobart (D/N) – 2:30pm local time
Second Test – Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 November at the Sydney Cricket Ground – 10:30am local time
Third Test – Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 January at Manuka Oval, Canberra (D/N) – 2:30pm local time

Five ODIs and five T20s versus England
First T20 – Wednesday 2 February at Riverway Stadium, Townsville – 6:30pm local time
Second T20 – Saturday 5 February at Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast – 6:30pm local time
Third T20 – Monday 7 February at UTAS Stadium, Launceston – 7:30pm local time
Fourth T20 – Thursday 10 February at Kardinia Park, Geelong – 7:30pm local time
Fifth T20 – Saturday 12 February at Optus Stadium, Perth – 1:00pm local time (double header with first men’s T20)

(Photo by Quinn Rooney-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

First ODI – Wednesday 16 February at Optus Stadium, Perth – 1:30pm local time
Second ODI – Friday 18 February at the Adelaide Oval – 2:00pm local time
Third ODI – Sunday 20 February at the Gabba, Brisbane – 1:30pm local time
Fourth ODI – Friday 25 February at the Melbourne Cricket Ground – 2:30pm local time
Firth ODI – Sunday 27 February at the Sydney Cricket Ground – 2:30pm local time

The women’s Ashes should be contested over 13 matches – three Tests, five ODIs and five T20s. This would be the first time in over 30 years England and Australia would contest a three-Test series.

Two of the Test matches should be day nighters, at Canberra and Hobart, and the SCG should host a day fixture, which would be the first women’s Test at the SCG since the 1940s.

With the Tests being played in November, then the white-ball games should be played in February. This is the same time as the men’s, but all are separate fixtures besides the fifth T20. Regional venues should host the T20s then the ODIs should be played at the five major Test venues.

Women’s BBL
The WBBL should be played from September to early November with a two-week break before the women’s Ashes begin. A 56-match regular season should be played with a top-five, five-match finals series just like the men’s.

Men’s BBL
The BBL should be played from December 7 to January 29 with the 56-match regular season and top-five finals system to remain. The finals would be played from Saturday 22 to Saturday 29 January, so it doesn’t clash with the ODIs and T20s. The challenger match would be played on Australia Day, following Day 1 of the fifth Test.