Next year's Ashes will not feature a Test match during August for the first time in 139 years because broadcaster Sky Sports did not want the series to clash with the start of the Premier League season, according to reports.
Instead, the series will finish in July for the first time in its history, with the new ICC Future Tours Programme confirming that the ECB have set aside August as a window for The Hundred where minimal international games will take place until at least 2027.
And according to the Daily Mail, the decision to stop playing Test matches at the height of the summer was down to a specific request made by Sky. The report states the broadcaster's 'desire to avoid a clash between their prime cricket and football offerings was the major factor' behind the ECB's call.
Sky extended their broadcast deal with the ECB in July, signing a new four-year agreement worth a reported £880m which will run until 2028 and that means they hold influence over the ECB's scheduling decisions.
However, although it was Sky bosses who 'expressed a preference for their most valuable cricket content taking place earlier in the summer' when they have less live sport to broadcast, the report adds that the ECB were happy to accommodate their request.
This is because it means more big-name stars will be able to feature in The Hundred. This year, both Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow pulled out of the tournament in order to have a rest before England's ongoing Test series against South Africa.
The likes of Joe Root, Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley and Matthew Potts, meanwhile, were only available for the first week of games due to their involvement with the Test side. The change in schedule will also allow England to focus solely on white-ball cricket from August onwards in preparation for the World Cup.
England are set to defend the 50-over crown they won in dramatic fashion on home soil in 2019 when they travel to India next year, with the 2023 World Cup set to begin in October.
Australia are also said to be happy with the change in Ashes schedule as they are currently second in the World Test Championship and could feature in the final, which is scheduled to take place at Lord's in early June.
