The absence of an Ashes Test match in the north of England for the 2027 summer series is the direct consequence of a legal conflict stemming from the venue selection process for the 2023 series against Australia. That dispute concluded with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) paying approximately £1 million in damages to Hampshire.
Hampshire initiated legal action against the governing body after being bypassed for a 2023 Ashes Test in favor of Yorkshire, which hosted the third Test at Headingley. The club argued that they had been promised their inaugural Ashes match at the Rose Bowl during a 2018 meeting of the 18 first-class counties. This agreement allegedly included hosting rights for Hampshire alongside matches at Lord’s, the Oval, Edgbaston, and Old Trafford, with Headingley slated to receive a Test in 2027.
At the time of the 2018 allocation, the ECB was chaired by Colin Graves, who previously served as chair of Yorkshire. An ECB press release from February 2018 stated that Graves recused himself from the board’s final decision-making process, which was based on recommendations from an independent host venue panel. Graves maintained this week that he had no involvement in the awards, noting that matches were determined by a “balanced scorecard” points system. He stated, “I always left the room when their recommendations were discussed by the board. I was not involved.”
The legal challenge eventually led to an out-of-court settlement. The payment to Hampshire was approved by the ECB board years later, after Graves had stepped down as chair in 2020. During his initial tenure from 2012 to 2015, Yorkshire did not host Ashes Tests because the club declined to bid due to the prohibitive costs of the ECB’s competitive bidding process. Graves later returned to Headingley in 2024 to assist with the club’s financial recovery.
Headingley’s financial stability was bolstered by the 2018 allocation, which granted the venue two additional Test matches between 2020 and 2024. However, the current exclusion of Headingley from the 2027 Ashes has drawn criticism from players. England captain Joe Root described the omission as a “shame,” while former captain Ben Stokes labeled the decision “scandalous.”
The 2027 schedule features only one venue north of Birmingham—Trent Bridge—with the remaining matches held at Lord’s, the Oval, and the Utilita Bowl in Hampshire. This will mark the first time Hampshire hosts an Ashes Test. The club has significantly improved its relationship with the ECB, notably by hosting three Tests and three T20 internationals during the 2020 pandemic-affected season.
The venue, formerly known as the Rose Bowl, was developed through significant investment by former chair Rod Bransgrove, who saved the club from bankruptcy in 2000. Two years ago, the club was sold to the Indian media conglomerate GNR Group. Despite hosting international fixtures since 2003, including matches against India and Sri Lanka, the 2027 series will represent a milestone for the ground.
Both the ECB and Hampshire declined to provide official comments regarding the dispute or the settlement details. The report also notes that when he joined the ECB for a five-year term as chair, before returning to Headingley as chair in 2024, graves was previously executive chair of Yorkshire between 2012 and 2015. The report also notes that yorkshire declined to bid for Ashes Tests for the 2013 and 2015 series due to financial difficulties. The report also notes that which he transferred to a family trust of which he was not a trustee, when he left Headingley for the ECB in 2015, and subsequently borrowed a further £20m to develop the ground, the club had debts of about £22m to Graves. The report also notes that with the county coming to the governing body’s aid by staging three Tests and three T20 internationals behind closed doors at the Rose Bowl during the Covid-ruined summer of 2020, hampshire’s relationship with the ECB has improved considerably in recent years.
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