Déjà vu as 2023 Men's Ashes schedule announced

Australia's bid for a first men's Ashes-winning campaign in the UK since 2001 will carry a reassuring whiff of familiarity, potentially balanced out by a couple of unprecedented points of difference.

The schedule for next year's five-Test Ashes series announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today reveals matches played at the same venues and in the same order as the 2019 tour which ended 2-2 and with Australia retaining the urn.

The battle kicks off on June 16 at Edgbaston where in 2019 Australia scored their first win in 18 years, then to Lord's, Headingley (scene of now-England skipper Ben Stokes's 'miracle' innings last time around), Old Trafford (where the Ashes were retained four years ago) and The Oval.

Image Id: 0A59ACACE7E748D29514143097298F26 Image Caption: The Australians celebrate retaining the Ashes at the Oval in 2019 // Getty

The Ashes holders will be buoyed by knowing their winning ratio over the preceding 140 years of UK Tests is highest at Lord's (15 victories from 37 matches), followed by Headingley (nine from 25), Edgbaston and Old Trafford (both 27 per cent success rate) and The Oval (seven from 38).

They will also be pleased to again avoid Trent Bridge where they have not triumphed since 2001 and were bowled out for 60 on day one of the fourth Test in 2015, although their record at The Oval will provide pause for thought given it hosts the World Test Championship final immediately prior to the Ashes.

However, the major change to next year's series will be the compacted nature of the playing schedule which sees five Tests squeezed into a window of six and half weeks from June 16-July 31.

Which means for the first time since Australia made their maiden Test cricket venture to the UK in 1880, a multi-match campaign will be completed before the start of August which traditionally heralds the start of English summer holidays.

In addition, the cramped playing roster – with the maximum break between Ashes Tests being the eight days separating the third (Leeds) and fourth (Manchester) fixtures – leaves no room for the traditional tour games against county outfits.

Instead, players looking to find form or push their claims for selection will be expected to do so at lengthy practice sessions as team management searches to find a balance between necessary recuperation and simulated match training.

Compounding the unique logjam of Ashes Tests, which is the result of the ECB's push to leave August scheduling free for The Hundred domestic limited-overs tournament, is the prospect of Australia's participation in the final of the ICC World Test Championship in early June.

Given Pat Cummins' men's team will have completed away Test and ODI matches in India in February-March next year followed by the likely involvement of numerous players in the IPL (late March-late May), there will be limited preparation time for the Test Championship final should Australia get there.

Currently, Cummins' team sits atop the Test Championship table ahead of South Africa (who they play in three Tests during the coming home summer), Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan.

Should they qualify for the final of the ICC's biennial Test competition – to be held at The Oval next year and at Lord's in 2025 – it seems that match will also serve as preparation for the Ashes contest which will begin barely a week later.

The ICC is yet to announce the dates of that Championship decider.

If Australia falls short of the final, there is the likelihood their Ashes warm-up might be a game against England Lions, the host nation's A team.

But even if Australia takes an expanded squad for the England sojourn that could feasibly involve six Tests within eight weeks, there is no scope for a repeat of the innovative intra-squad match that preceded finalisation of their 2019 Ashes squad.

Then men's team captain Tim Paine described that two-day practice match and intensive training program at Southampton involving 25 Ashes aspirants as "perfect preparation" prompting speculation it would provide the blueprint for future England tours.

It was also viewed as a vital component in Australia avoiding their fifth successive Ashes series defeat on British soil, stretching back to 2005.

However, the expansion of the IPL window to eight weeks coupled with the rise of The Hundred which was launched in 2021 and is set to become a fixture in August suggests the days of a UK Ashes tour stretching more than a couple of months have now formally passed.

The previous earliest finish to a UK Ashes summer was August 11 in 1909, but even then Monty Noble's men played almost 40 games during their visit that began in early May and included 11  fixtures following the final Test at The Oval.

By contrast, Cummins' team are likely to depart England immediately after their final Test given they are not fixtured to play any limited-overs games during their UK stay and instead will focus on the five ODI, three T20 tour to South Africa that begins in September.

Australia's all-conquering women's team will also contest the Ashes in England next year, with an historic five-day Test at Trent Bridge beginning a week after the men's battle gets underway.

“The Ashes series are among the most significant sporting events in world sport and we are looking forward to these highly anticipated contests in England next year," Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley said today.

"There is no bigger challenge than retaining the Ashes away from home. There is huge excitement from our teams as they look to write themselves into Ashes folklore.

“While these series are on the horizon, we’re excited for the cricket immediately ahead this summer as our men’s team host England across two highly anticipated Dettol T20I and ODI Series either side of the T20 World Cup."

2023 Men's Ashes schedule

Friday June 16-Tuesday June 20: Edgbaston

Wednesday June 28-Sunday July 2: Lord’s

Thursday July 6-Monday July 10: Headingley

Wednesday July 19-Sunday July 23: Old Trafford

Thursday July 27-Monday 31: The Oval