For the first time in its 70-odd-year history, the Prime Minister’s XI fixture is leaving Canberra. The 2026-27 edition, set for 4-6 March, will be staged under lights at Melbourne’s Junction Oval, giving England a three-day hit-out before the 150th Anniversary Test at the MCG on 11 March.
Junction Oval’s brand-new floodlights – due their maiden run in this season’s WBBL – were a key factor, with England specifically asking for a pink-ball match to mirror conditions at the anniversary Test. That request, Cricket Australia (CA) sources say, will be reciprocated when the Australians prepare for the 2027 Ashes in England.
Moving the match south means a break with tradition. Manuka Oval has hosted every PM’s XI since the fixture was revived in 1996, and plenty of locals will mutter about losing “their” game. Yet scheduling pressure told. Australia conclude a five-Test series in India on 3 March, while England fly in from Bangladesh the same week. Neither side had the appetite for extra travel.
Last winter’s Ashes build-up still lingers in the background. England attracted flak for choosing an intra-squad outing at Lilac Hill over a first-class match, even after being offered games in Adelaide and Melbourne. This time the tourists wanted something more substantial, and CA were just as keen to remove any excuses.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed the shift. “The Prime Minister’s XI match has a proud place in Australian cricket history and it’s fitting the XI will take on the best England can throw at us ahead of the one-off Test,” he said. “The 150th Anniversary Test will be a special occasion for cricket fans across Australia and around the world, and I look forward to helping select a Prime Minister’s XI that will provide a terrific contest in the lead-up to that historic match.”
CA chief executive Todd Greenberg added: “Playing the match under lights in Melbourne will give the PM’s XI fantastic exposure during what will be an exciting time for cricket. We are confident there will be big crowds at the Junction Oval to see the PM’s XI take on a full-strength England team as they prepare for the challenge of facing Australia in the 150th Anniversary Test match.”
From a playing-perspective, the timing is tight. Australia face at least 20 Tests between August 2025 and July 2026, and the stretch from India straight into England will test fast-bowling stocks. England, meanwhile, will be on their second visit in four months after a white-ball tour in November. Managing workloads, especially for multi-format players such as Harry Brook and Pat Cummins, promises to be a talking point all summer.
There is a silver lining for Canberra. Manuka Oval remains on the international roster, hosting England for a T20 on 2 December and New Zealand’s women later in the season. Melbourne, though, grabs the limelight: either side of the PM’s XI, Australia’s women meet New Zealand in one-day internationals at the same ground on 8 and 10 March, squeezed in after the Champions Trophy reshuffle.
In practical terms, spectators can expect the Junction Oval encounter to mirror a standard first-class match, just with a pink ball and a dash of political theatre. Casual fans might see it as a fancy warm-up; the teams will treat it more seriously. Preparations for a landmark Test, even one without Ashes implications, rarely feel casual once the lights flick on.
