Today is the last day of the final test of The Ashes 2023, and so in the next few hours, we'll find out whether Australia bags another round of the famous cricket tournament, or whether England can equalize and net a draw overall.
UK: Sky Sports
AU: 9Now (free)
US: Sling TV (+ World Sports package)
VPN: ExpressVPN
While England can no longer win this series of The Ashes, due to its performance in the previous four tests, a win here would force a draw for the season overall. However if England and Australia draw, the latter team wins overall.
The Oval hosts this last game, and the England team is likely in bad spirits after a draw in the last game was ruled due to bad weather, ruining their chances of an Ashes comeback.
The Ashes is a regular series of five cricket Test matches played between England and Australia which dates back to 1882 — generally, it occurs biennially, but that's a rough guide as there are sometimes two Ashes in a year, or gaps of several years between events.
If you're a keen cricket fan who's checking out this article early, or just someone who likes to be prepared, you likely want to know how to watch The Ashes 2023 series test matches, and we've got all the information on that below. For those lucky enough to live in Australia, the Ashes is free-to-air on 9Now, and Australians abroad can watch the Ashes on 9Now using a VPN.
How to stream The Ashes 2023 in the UK
In the UK, you can watch the entirety of The Ashes by using Sky Sports, with the Sky Sports Cricket channel airing most of the test matches, and Sky Sports Main Channel showing some too.
You can get Sky Sports as part of Sky's 'Sky, Netflix & Sports' bundle for £46, or if you've already got Sky TV you can pay just £24 to gain the Sky Sports bundle on top. Find out more here.
If you don't want to pay for Sky, the BBC also has rights to air highlights, but not the live games themselves. BBC Sounds is hosting Test Match Specials though, where you'll be able to tune in to live play-by-plays of the tests.
How to stream The Ashes 2023 in Australia
There are several ways to watch The Ashes in Australia, but the one we'd recommend is Channel 9.
Channel 9 holds the broadcasting rights for The Ashes, so you can use that to catch the games. If you want to stream online, Channel 9's 9Now will let you do so — best of all, these options are free, so it's our recommended pick.
How to stream The Ashes in the US
US cricket fans can watch The Ashes using Willow TV, a channel dedicated to coverage of cricket around the world.
If your cable package offers Willow TV then you're already sorted, but if not, one live TV streaming service offers what you need. Sling TV offers a World Sports add-on that contains Willow TV (as well as a few other channels dedicated to... well, world sports).
World Sports costs $10 per month on top of Sling TV's normal price — that is, $40 per month for Sling Blue or Sling Orange, or $55 for the joint bundle. That's $50 or $65 in total for the whole bundle.
How to stream The Ashes elsewhere
If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch The Ashes, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your major sporting events like The Ashes or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
The Ashes 2023 schedule and results
These are the dates and locations for the five England v Australia Ashes games in 2023 — we'll also add results once the games have taken place.
- Test 1 (WINNER: AUSTRALIA)
Friday, June 16 - Tuesday, June 20
Birmingham, Edgbaston Cricket Ground
- Test 2 (WINNER: AUSTRALIA)
Wednesday, June 28 - Sunday, July 2
London, Lord's
- Test 3 (WINNER: England)
Thursday, July 6 - Monday, July 10
Leeds, Headingley Cricket Ground
- Test 4 (DRAW)
Wednesday, July 19 - Sunday, July 23
Manchester, Old Trafford Cricket Ground
- Test 5
Thursday, July 27 - Monday, July 31
London, The Oval
All your Ashes questions, answered
Where are The Ashes 2023 being played?
England and Australia alternate hosting The Ashes, and in 2023 it's England's turn to be the home team.
The five tests will take place across four UK cities: Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and London, with two tests happening in the capital.
Who's on England's Ashes squad? Who's the England team for the First Test?
Well, the big news was the injury to poor Jack Leach who has been ruled out. England have turned to Moeen Ali, so they have a spin option.
The England team for the First Test is: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson.
Who's on Australia's Ashes squad?
Australia named its Ashes squad in mid-April.
The captain is Pat Cummins, with Steve Smith acting as vice-captain. Both men held the same positions in 2021 when Australia won the ashes.
Other players coming to England are Alex Carey as the team's wicket keeper and also Scott Boland, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Starc and David Warner.
Australia has not yet named its team for the First Test.
Does England have any chance of winning?
England goes in with a great chance following a remarkable turnaround in their fortunes thanks to captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon “Baz" McCullum. Stokes has requested "flat, fast wickets" so England has the best chance to show off their ultra-aggressive Bazball approach.
But could this be playing into Australia's greedy hands? There's clearly an argument that England should instead opt for seamer-friendly pitches that suit bowlers like James Anderson. Australian batsmen have always struggled against the moving ball and certainly, their line-up would prefer batting on a belter of a wicket instead of facing Anderson with the ball hooping all over the place. Australia will also be full of confidence having won the World Test Championship against India.
Why are The Ashes so early in the year?
The reason The Ashes begin in June this year, rather than August like the 2019 series which was the last in England, is because of The Hundred tournament, which begins on the first day of August. While this tournament doesn't involve country teams, it's hosted in various UK cricket grounds, which The Ashes are also due to use.
The Ashes couldn't happen after The Hundred either, because of the weather and the fact the Cricket World Cup begins in early October.
