England Win at Headingley Again — But Ashes Cricket Won't Return to Leeds Until 2031
England wrapped up an innings victory over Pakistan inside three days at Headingley, giving Joe Root the ideal start to his second spell as Test captain. It also extended a remarkable run: England's streak of Test wins at the Leeds ground stretches back to 2018, making it one of their most reliable fortresses in the format. Their longest winning streak at any single ground is six, at Chester-le-Street. BBC Sport
Yet this Headingley triumph comes with a bittersweet twist. The ground will not host a men's Ashes Test in 2027, having been left off the roster when the schedule was confirmed in July. Instead, the five men's Tests between England and Australia will be split across Trent Bridge, Lord's, Edgbaston, the Utilita Bowl in Southampton, and the Kia Oval. The series begins at Trent Bridge on 3 July 2027. Yahoo Sports; ECB
The decision to leave out Headingley and Old Trafford was first announced in 2023, when the ECB published its major match venues programme covering 2025 to 2031. Trent Bridge in Nottingham will be the most northerly ground used in the 2027 men's series. Southampton receives a men's Ashes Test for the first time and will get one in alternate home Ashes series going forward. BBC Sport; ECB
Headingley is not being frozen out entirely. The ground will instead stage a women's Ashes Test in 2027, giving Leeds fans a marquee England-Australia contest even without the men's fixture. The ECB has also committed to keeping at least one men's Ashes Test in either Leeds or Manchester in every home series from 2031 onward. Headingley's next men's Ashes Test is scheduled for 2031. BBC Sport
For a ground steeped in Ashes folklore, the absence stings. Headingley staged men's Ashes Tests in both 2019 and 2023, and England won both. The 2019 match — inspired by one of Ben Stokes' most celebrated innings — ranks among the most storied contests in Ashes history. England's record of nine home Ashes wins at Headingley is bettered only by their 17 at The Oval, a ground that has hosted 36 Ashes Tests to Headingley's 26. BBC Sport
Root, who grew up playing his cricket in Yorkshire, acknowledged the gap. "It is a shame we do not get to play at Headingley next year," he said, "but there will be many more brilliant Test matches there." He described Headingley as "a great Test-match venue providing brilliant Test cricket where England have had success recently," and said he would love to play as many games there as possible. BBC Sport
Root has also spoken about wanting to be part of England's next away Ashes tour in 2029-30, a series that would unfold around his 39th birthday. For now, the immediate task is a home summer in which he has begun his second captaincy stint with a commanding win at a ground England have made their own — even if the Ashes circus will bypass it next time around. BBC Sport
