An England XI will take on the Prime Minister’s XI in a two-day pink-ball match at Manuka Oval in Canberra on November 29 and 30. The fixture comes just days before the day-night Ashes Test at the Gabba and is designed to help England players acclimatise to pink-ball conditions.
The timing of the match is significant. It starts four days after the opening Ashes Test in Perth and concludes three days before the second Test in Brisbane, which will host the day-night encounter this season instead of the traditional venue, Adelaide Oval.
This annual fixture, once a one-day affair, became a multi-day match in the 2022-23 season when West Indies were the opposition. Last year’s game against India was also planned as a two-day match but was reduced to a single day due to rain. Despite that, it played a key role in the Test series build-up, with Sam Konstas scoring a century that earned him a call-up to the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
The PM’s XI game will be England’s only match outside the five Ashes Tests once the series gets underway. Ahead of the series, they will play a three-day warm-up match against England Lions at Lilac Hill in Perth. However, that game is expected to feature more centre-wicket practice than full match intensity. Tickets for the opening day of that match have already sold out.
Unlike the two England Lions matches — against a Cricket Australia XI and Australia A — that coincide with the first two Ashes Tests, the PM’s XI fixture will not clash with any Sheffield Shield matches, allowing access to top Australian talent.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his excitement for the upcoming series, saying, “An Ashes series is something every cricket fan looks forward to. Like many Australians I grew up admiring, and begrudging, the brilliance of players like Ian Botham, David Gower, and Graham Gooch.”
He added that he looks forward to finalising a squad that represents the best available talent from across Australia to take on a strong England side.