England will play pink-ball match under lights at Junction Oval to prepare for 150th Anniversary Test
For the first time ever, the annual Prime Minister’s XI match against a touring team will not be held in Canberra, instead played at Melbourne’s Junction Oval as part of the 150th Anniversary Test celebrations.
The PM’s XI will play an England XI under lights and with a pink ball from March 4-6, 2027.
Ben Stokes’ England squad drew heavy criticism for skipping a pink-ball PM’s XI match last summer ahead of their day-night Ashes Test in Brisbane, instead opting for extended rest after losing the opening Test in Perth in two days.
They were beaten by eight wickets on the fourth evening in Brisbane, following a memorable clash between Steve Smith and Jofra Archer. England lost the series 4-1.
England won last summer’s Boxing Day Test – another match that lasted just two days – and the pink-ball warm-up is part of a reciprocal agreement between Australia and England administrators to ensure the best possible preparation.
Moving the PM’s XI to Melbourne extends the festival of cricket that will be capped by the 150th Anniversary Test at the MCG from March 11.
Australia’s women play two ODIs against New Zealand at Junction Oval in March, the first of which is a day-night clash on March 8, International Women’s Day, and a day match on March 10, the day before the anniversary Test begins.
Manuka Oval will not be left without any international cricket this summer, with the fifth T20 International between Australia and England at the venue on December 2, and an Australia v New Zealand women’s ODI played there on March 6.
As per tradition, a player of ACT origin will be 12th for this match.
Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “delighted” with the fixture, confirming he would play a role in selecting the side to face England.
“The Prime Minister’s XI match has a proud place in Australian cricket history and it’s fitting the XI will take on the best England can throw at us ahead of the one-off test,” Albanese said.
“The 150th Anniversary Test will be a special occasion for cricket fans across Australia and around the world, and I look forward to helping select a Prime Minister’s XI that will provide a terrific contest in the lead-up to that historic match.”
The PM’s XI first played in 1951 during the tenure of Sir Robert Menzies. It was has played a touring side from England – initially the Marylebone Cricket Club – on 14 previous occasions.
Last summer’s PM’s XI was a youthful side featuring the likes of Sam Konstas, Ollie Peake and Campbell Kellaway as well as the Test-capped Nathan McSweeney, Peter Handscomb and Peter Siddle.
England are seeking a new Test match captain following the sudden retirement of Stokes midway through the Trent Bridge Test against New Zealand, where they fell to a calamitous 160-run defeat to concede the series 2-1. They will arrive in Australia next March with plenty of recent Test match practice under their belts, however, with three Tests against South Africa over the new year period, followed by two in Bangladesh immediately before their visit to Melbourne.
The Prime Minister’s XI played two matches at Manly Oval in Sydney in January 1988 and 1989 under the tenure of cricket-mad Bob Hawke. Both matches were against an Australian Aboriginals side and the second played by the PM’s XI that summer, having earlier played against the touring nation.
150th Anniversary Festival of Cricket
March 4-6: Prime Minister’s XI v England XI, Junction Oval (D/N)
March 8: Australia v New Zealand, second women’s ODI, Junction Oval, 2:50pm AEDT (D/N)
March 10: Australia v New Zealand, third women’s ODI, Junction Oval, 10:05am AEDT
March 11-15: 150th Anniversary Test, Australia v England, MCG, 2pm AEDT (D/N)
