The Oval will stage an England men’s Test in June for the first time next season, a small but noteworthy tweak to a timetable that otherwise keeps the familiar landmarks of an English summer.
Key dates first. New Zealand arrive in mid-June, playing three Tests, the last of which lands at The Oval from 17-21 June. Pakistan follow in late August for three more. Between those two red-ball blocks, India and Sri Lanka provide the white-ball fare through July and early September.
On the women’s side the headline is clear: a home T20 World Cup in June and July. Either side of that tournament, Heather Knight’s side meet New Zealand in May, India across May and July and Ireland in September.
The Lord’s list
Lord’s appears three times on next year’s men’s Test list and, for the first time, hosts a women’s Test – against India, 10-13 July, scheduled over four days. MCC chief executive Robert Lawson argues it is, in his words, “only fitting” after bumper ticket sales for last summer’s women’s ODI at the ground. One county administrator, less enamoured, muttered: “The South always gets the cream.”
Why The Oval moves
Surrey have traditionally hosted the last men’s Test of the season. They will do so again in 2025, but redevelopment work at two other grounds – understood to be Old Trafford and Headingley – has forced a shuffle for 2026. Hence New Zealand, not Pakistan, get the south-London venue and early-summer conditions that can be a touch greener and livelier than the hard, late-August strips the ground usually serves up.
The 2027 Ashes itinerary, released in outline alongside next year’s fixtures, restores The Oval’s customary position as the finale.
Tri-series shelved
The initial Future Tours Programme had suggested a women’s T20 tri-series featuring England, India and New Zealand. That idea has been dropped in favour of bilateral series, a move that reduces travel during the World Cup build-up but does remove one set of marquee match-ups.
Hundred window remains
The Hundred keeps its clear run: 21 July to 16 August for both men and women. By then the eight teams should be under new, private ownership – the ECB hopes to confirm investment deals “imminently”. The board’s chief executive, Richard Gould, believes the women’s T20 World Cup will “undoubtedly” be “the highlight” of the summer. He added: “With world-class opposition visiting iconic venues across the country, fans will have the chance to witness the very best of the men’s and women’s game.”
Fixtures at a glance
Men
• New Zealand Tests: June
• India white-ball: July
• Pakistan Tests: Aug-Sept
• Sri Lanka white-ball: Sept
Women
• New Zealand limited-overs: May
• India limited-overs and Lord’s Test: May-July
• Women’s T20 World Cup: June-July
• Ireland limited-overs: Sept
Analysis, briefly
A June Test at The Oval is a novelty rather than a revolution, but it does freshen up the rota and gives New Zealand seamers, in theory, slightly friendlier surfaces. Lord’s taking three men’s Tests and the landmark women’s Test will please the capital’s ticket-buyers but grates elsewhere; that debate, one suspects, is not over. Off the field, all eyes will be on whether new private money stabilises – or skews – the domestic landscape once The Hundred becomes a franchise league in name as well as format.
Plenty to chew over, then, even before a ball is bowled.
