After making the historic decision to take the Big Bash League opener to Chennai later this year, Cricket Australia (CA) is now mulling over the audacious idea of hosting an Ashes Test match in India in the future.
However, CA chief executive Todd Greenberg was quick to rule out any immediate implementation, highlighting the immense scheduling and logistical hurdles involved. Australia is currently putting the finishing touches on plans to stage the Big Bash League season-opener in Chennai this coming December, marking a significant milestone in expanding the domestic T20 tournament’s global footprint. Building on this momentum, the idea of taking cricket’s oldest rivalries to neutral territory has emerged as an intriguing possibility.
“Our relationship with the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and the BCCI is remarkably strong, and clearly there are vast opportunities in India to introduce top-tier content into key markets,” Greenberg explained during an appearance on the BBC’s Stumped podcast.
“It is not something we are actively planning at this moment, but it is certainly open to future consideration. Test cricket between Australia, England, and India remains exceptionally strong-probably bucking the broader trend seen in other parts of the world. Therefore, we want to ensure we continue to grow, protect, and strengthen that core interest,” he added.
Despite the commercial appeal, Greenberg said that an already overcrowded international cricket calendar poses a major barrier to an initiative that would demand unprecedented coordination between three of the sport’s most influential governing bodies.
“The fundamental challenge for all of us in global administration is that there are only 365 days in a calendar year, and we probably need another month or two to fit in all the fixture content we are aiming to generate,” he noted.
For now, traditional venues remain the priority, with England scheduled to host the next edition of the iconic Ashes series next year.