The Ashes pits England and Australia against each other in a five-match cricket series, marking one of the longest-running rivalries in the sport.
Dating back to its first run in 1882, the series gets its name from a satirical headline after England lost to Australia for the first time on home soil in August of 1882.
A day later, the Sporting Times carried a mock obituary of English cricket, writing that: "The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.”
From then on, the term ‘Ashes’ was adopted to mark the competition between the two national teams, later expanding to include women’s teams as well.
Here’s when the Ashes 2023 will kick off, as well as how you can watch along at home.
When is the next Ashes match?
The Ashes 2023 will begin on June 16 with the first test of the Men’s Ashes at Edgbaston.
Starting at 11am, the match will run for four days, from June 16 to June 20.
The Ashes 2023 full schedule
Both the men’s and the women’s teams are preparing for the Ashes to start, with a busy schedule ahead of them.
The Men’s Ashes
- First Test (Edgbaston) — Friday, June 16 — Tuesday, June 20 (11am start)
- Second Test (Lord’s) —Wednesday, June 28 — Sunday, July 2 (11am start)
- Third Test (Clean Slate Headingley) —Thursday, July 6 — Monday, July 10 (11am start)
- Fourth Test (Emirates Old Trafford) — Wednesday, July 19 — Sunday, July 23 (11am start)
- Fifth Test (The Kia Oval) — Thursday, July 27 — Monday, July 31 (11am start)
The Women’s Ashes
- Test match (Trent Bridge) — Thursday, June 22 — Monday, June 26 (11am start)
- First T20 international (Edgbaston) — Saturday, July 1 (6.35pm start)
- Second T20 international (The Kia Oval) — Wednesday, July 5 (6.35pm start)
- Third T20 international (Lord’s) —Saturday, July 8 (6.35pm start)
- First one-day international (Unique Stadium, Bristol) — Wednesday, July 12 (1pm start)
- Second one-day international (The Ageas Bowl) — Sunday, July 16 (11am start)
- Third one-day international (Taunton) — Tuesday, July 18 (1pm start)
How to watch the Ashes 2023
Every match from both the men's and women's Ashes will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
NOW customers will also be able to watch up to 36 days of Ashes cricket across both men's and women's series.
Video highlights and over-by-over text commentary will also be shared on Sky Sports’ digital platforms and some social media.
Cricket pundits, such as Ian Ward, Nasser Hussain, and Mike Atherton, will be providing live and retrospective commentary, among other experts in the sport.
