Former England Take a look at captain Ben Stokes has hit out on the England and Wales Cricket Board’s determination to depart Headingley out of the 2027 males’s Ashes schedule, calling the transfer “shambolic”. Stokes’ feedback got here shortly after England’s emphatic innings-and-103-run victory over Pakistan at Headingley within the first Take a look at of their three-match sequence.Newly appointed Take a look at captain Joe Root had earlier described Headingley’s absence from subsequent yr’s Ashes schedule as a “disgrace”, pointing to England’s excellent document on the Leeds venue. Reacting to a social media submit carrying Root’s feedback, Stokes mentioned the phrase didn’t adequately describe his frustration.“Disgrace is an understatement. Shambolic can be extra applicable. Nice win although,” Stokes wrote on his Instagram story.
Headingley, Outdated Trafford omitted of 2027 Ashes
The ECB has chosen Trent Bridge, Lord’s, Edgbaston, the Rose Bowl (Utilita Bowl) and The Oval because the 5 venues for the 2027 males’s Ashes sequence. The choice means there might be no Ashes Take a look at within the north of England, with Headingley and Manchester’s Outdated Trafford each lacking from the schedule.The omission has attracted criticism given the historical past and significance of each venues within the Ashes. Headingley, particularly, has been one in every of England’s most profitable Take a look at grounds lately and at present boasts a seven-match successful streak.
Headingley holds particular place in Ashes historical past
The Leeds venue additionally has a particular reference to Stokes. It was at Headingley in the course of the 2019 Ashes that he produced some of the memorable innings in Take a look at historical past, scoring an unbeaten 135 to information England to a dramatic one-wicket victory over Australia. Stokes’ newest criticism comes after Root highlighted the importance of enjoying Ashes cricket in northern venues.“It is a disgrace,” Root had mentioned following England’s victory over Pakistan, referring to Headingley’s omission from the 2027 schedule.Whereas Headingley and Outdated Trafford are scheduled to return to the Ashes rotation in 2031, their absence from the 2027 sequence means northern England will go with no males’s Ashes Take a look at for all the cycle between the 2 editions.
