DIGITAL ISSUE
Everything you need to know about the summer of cricket
From the return of the Ashes to a blockbuster Big Bash League season, the 2025–26 summer of cricket is shaping up as one of the biggest in recent memory. This is your complete guide to every series, venue and reason to get excited
BY CAYLE REID
THE SUMMER OF CRICKET is so deeply ingrained in Australian culture that calling it a sporting tradition feels like we’re underselling it. Long afternoons at the ‘G, backyard matches during the Boxing Day Test, entire days spent glued to the TV. These aren’t just annual rituals, they’re part of our DNA.
This summer, the action ramps up like never before. The Ashes return to Australian soil, the white-ball calendar still features more matchups with India, and as always, the Big Bash League promises fireworks. Add in a packed domestic schedule and the rising women’s game, and you’ve got months of unmissable cricket from October through to March.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025-26 summer of cricket.
The Ashes 2025–26
It doesn’t get bigger than this. The Ashes are back on Australian soil, with the hosts set to defend the urn against England in a five-Test blockbuster series that will define the summer.
Australia enter as holders after a hard-fought 2023 series in England. The Aussies have dominated recent home series, having not lost an Ashes test on home soil since 2011. The team will also be without captain Pat Cummins due to injury, forcing a shakeup of the bowling rotation. England, meanwhile, have been resurgent under the aggression of ‘Bazball’ and are eager to reclaim the urn.
This year’s Ashes will feature a break from tradition. Brisbane won’t host the first Test for the first time since the early 1980s. Instead, Perth will do the honour. The MCG and SCG remain in their traditional slots on Boxing Day and the first week of the new year.
Ashes 2025–26 schedule:
Test 1: Perth Stadium – November 21-25
Test 2: The Gabba, Brisbane – December 4-8
Test 3: Adelaide Oval – December 17-21 (Christmas Test)
Test 4: MCG, Melbourne – December 26-30 (Boxing Day Test)
Test 5: SCG, Sydney – January 4-8 (Pink Test)
Australia vs India: ODIs and T20 Internationals
Before the red-ball battle begins, Australia will welcome India for a white-ball tour featuring both ODIs and T20Is. The ODI series has already begun, with Australia taking victory in the first match. Expect to see some new faces, as both sides integrate newcomers into their lineups.
The five-match T20 series, meanwhile, begins on October 31. Both teams will use it to fine-tune ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup, so we’re in for some high-intensity clashes.
Australia vs India ODI Series schedule:
1st ODI: Perth – October 19
2nd ODI: Adelaide – October 22
3rd ODI: Sydney – October 25
Australia vs India T20 Series schedule:
1st T20: Canberra – October 31
2nd T20: Melbourne – November 2
3rd T20: Hobart – November 5
4th T20: Gold Coast – November 8
5th T20: Brisbane – November 10
Big Bash League 2025–26
As the international matches heat up, the spotlight will be shared with the crowd-pleasing Big Bash League. BBL15 will run from December 14 to January 25, spanning 42 days of cricket across the country. There’ll be packed stadiums, rivalries renewed and a showcase of the game’s best local and international T20 talent.
The big names include Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne on the Brisbane Heat; Nathan Lyon on the Melbourne Renegades; Mitchell Marsh on the Perth Scorchers; Steve Smith, Babar Azam and Mitchell Starc on the Sydney Sixers; and David Warner, Ravichandran Ashwin and Sam Konstas on the Sydney Thunder. With names like those on rosters, we could be in for the best Big Bash season yet.
