Next year's Ashes will not feature a Test match during August for the first time in 139 years because broadcaster Sky Sports did not want the series to clash with the start of the Premier League season, according to reports.
Instead, the series will finish in July for the first time in its history, with the new ICC Future Tours Programme confirming that the ECB have set aside August as a window for The Hundred where minimal international games will take place until at least 2027.
And according to the Daily Mail, the decision to stop playing Test matches at the height of the summer was down to a specific request made by Sky. The report states the broadcaster's 'desire to avoid a clash between their prime cricket and football offerings was the major factor' behind the ECB's call.
