Arch-rivals Australia and England will play a historic one-off day-night Test match in 2027 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Test cricket.
The historic pink-ball Test between the two will be played between March 11-15, 2027 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), a statement from Cricket Australia confirmed on Tuesday.
This will make it the first instance of Australia’s men’s team playing a pink-ball Test at the MCG. Earlier this year, Australia women had played the first-ever day-night Test at the venue, coincidentally against England in the Women’s Ashes.
Notably, MCG is also the venue where Australia and England had played the Centenary Test back in 1977, with the hosts emerging victorious by 45 runs.
The two rivals had played a second centenary Test in 1980 at the Lord’s Cricket Ground to commemorate the first test between the two nations in England back in 1880.
Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg said the historic Test match would be a fitting tribute to both the game’s heritage and its evolution.
“The 150th Anniversary Test at the MCG will be one of the great cricket events and playing under lights will be a fantastic way to celebrate both our game’s rich heritage and Test cricket’s modern evolution. It will also help ensure more people are able to attend and watch what will be a fantastic occasion,” said Greenberg.
“The Centenary Test created many iconic performances, including David Hookes’ five consecutive boundaries off Tony Greig, Rick McCosker batting with a broken jaw and Derek Randall’s defiant century, and I’m sure the 150th Test will create its own lifelong memories.
This season’s Ashes Series will whet the appetite for this clash in exactly two years, and we look forward to celebrating this historic occasion further as it draws nearer. We are thankful to the Victorian Government and the Melbourne Cricket Club for their incredible support to host this momentous Test match,” he added.
The historic match will not be a part of the World Test Championship (WTC) but will be the one of the 12 Tests in the season, which will include three in Sri Lanka, three against New Zealand at home, and five in India.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world News on Zee News.