The Prime Minister’s XI match is back and, for the second straight summer, it will run as a two-day pink-ball contest. England’s touring party head to Manuka Oval on 29–30 November, wedged neatly between the first Ashes Test in Perth and the day-night clash at the Gabba.
That timing is useful. Playing under lights four days after Perth and three days before Brisbane should give Ben Stokes’ side a decent look at the pink Kookaburra without eating into rest days. The game, once a simple one-day hit-out, shifted to multi-day format in 2022-23 when West Indies visited. India got the shortened version last year – the rain meant it turned into a single-day slog – yet Sam Konstas still smashed a hundred that helped propel him towards a Boxing Day debut.
England have little else on the domestic schedule once the Ashes starts. A three-day get-together with England Lions at Lilac Hill, Perth, precedes the first Test, but that is being pitched more as centre-wicket practice than a full-dress rehearsal. Even so, local reports say tickets for day one have already disappeared.
Unlike the Lions’ two matches against a CA XI and Australia A – both of which overlap the opening Tests – the PM’s XI fixture avoids clashing with Sheffield Shield cricket. That should free up bigger names for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the selectors.
“An Ashes series is something every cricket fan looks forward to. Like many Australians I grew up admiring, and begrudging, the brilliance of players like Ian Botham, David Gower, and Graham Gooch,” Albanese said. “I look forward to meeting with the selectors to finalise a PM’s XI squad that showcases the best available talent from across Australia to take on the strong English team.”
The final PM’s XI line-up – a mix of emerging players and fringe Test hopefuls in recent years – is expected to be announced in early November, once the start of the domestic season offers a clearer form guide.
