Australia and England to celebrate Test cricket's 150th anniversary with a match at MCG in March 2027

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Australia and England will play one off Test match to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the longest format of the game which was first played in March 1877, Cricket Australia (CA) announced on Sunday, August 18.

The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will be hosting the Sesquicentenary Test. The 100th anniversary was also held at the same venue in 1977 from March 12 to March 17.

All living men's cricketers who had represented either Australia or England in an Ashes match were invited. The 1977 Centenary Test was won by Australia, as they did the first-ever match, by 45 runs.

Besides, Cricket Australia has finalised the allocation of hosting rights for various men's international Tests, ODIs, T20Is and other matches over the next seven summers, spanning from 2024-25 to 2030-31.

These arrangements, finalised by CA, are part of a series of strategic partnerships between the cricket body and state governments to provide greater access to fans and communities while expanding cricket events nationwide.

"We are enormously grateful for the strong support of state and territory governments and venue operators who will help us to deliver brilliant experiences across the country and maximise economic impact from these major events," CA CEO Nick Hockley was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

"The 150th anniversary Test match at the MCG in March 2027 will be a wonderful celebration of the pinnacle format of the game at one of the world's great sporting arenas and we can't wait to host England on that occasion."

The arrangements had also put to rest speculations about shifting the annual Boxing Day Test from the MCG, which is a tradition, while the Sydney Cricket Ground will continue to host the New Year's match.

Besides, the Adelaide Oval is set to host the 'Christmas Test' every December starting from the 2025/26 season, featuring a mix of Day-Night and Day Tests. Perth has been handed the hosting rights of the first men's Test of the summer until the 2026-27 season.

(With Input from PTI)