The Ashes 2025: When is the next Test, start times and how to watch England vs Australia

England’s hopes of winning the Ashes are over after defeat in Adelaide. With two more matches of the series left, there is only pride to play for, starting with the Melbourne Test, which got under way on Boxing Day.

Since retaining the urn Down Under in 2010-11, England have now played 18 Tests in Australia, losing 16 and drawing two.

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When are the Ashes? Dates and schedule

When is the fourth Ashes Test?

December 26-30, in Melbourne. In the UK, play starts each day at 11.30pm.

Test match start times

How to watch on TV and streaming

TNT Sports has exclusive live coverage in the UK, and their broadcast teams is split between these shores and Australia. A sport-only subscription will cost you £30.99 per month. You can watch TNT Sports channels on EE TV, Sky and Virgin Media.

Cricket Australia sold the UK radio rights for Tests to BBC Sport, who are covering the series with ball-by-ball commentary on Test Match Special.

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Who is commentating on the TV coverage?

“TNT Sports’s coverage of the Ashes has begun and it is as bad as fans had feared,” Alan Tyers wrote after day one of the first Test.

TNT Sports’ lead commentators are Alastair Eykyn, best known as a key plank of the channel’s rugby coverage, and Rob Hatch, an award-winning cycling commentator.

What are the odds?

Odds on series whitewash:

When did England last win the Ashes?

The first Ashes series was played in 1882-83. Since then, there have been 73 series with Australia winning 34 and England 32. Seven series have finished as a draw.

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Australia have enjoyed the upper hand in recent times, with England not winning a series since the summer of 2015 on home soil.

England have won away series just twice since 1980, with those victories coming in 1986-87 and 2010-11. Those teams have passed into greatness, such is the difficulty of winning in Australia.