Prime Minister's XI game moved to Melbourne as England warm-up to 150th anniversary Test

England will have a three-day floodlit warm-up match before the 150th anniversary Test at the MCG next March with the annual Prime Minister’s XI fixture to be played in Melbourne for the first time

The match from March 4 to 6 will be staged at Junction Oval, which has recently had floodlights installed that will be used for the first time during the WBBL later this year, ahead of the pink-ball Test starting on March 11. The PM’s XI game is traditionally played at Manuka Oval in Canberra.

England requested a practice match before the Test, and it’s understood this arrangement will be replicated when Australia tour for the 2027 Ashes where they will be provided proper warm-up fixtures. The Ashes will not be at stake in the 150th Test.

Both England and Australia will face a tight turnaround into the anniversary Test: Australia finish a five-Test series in India on March 3 while England will be coming straight from Bangladesh. For Australia it is part of a run of at least 20 Tests in 11 months from August. It will be England’s second trip down under during the 2026-27 following a white-ball tour in November that features three ODIs and five T20Is.

England were criticised for their preparation ahead of last season’s Ashes where they opted for an intra-squad game at Lilac Hill in Perth having declined the offer of a match in either Adelaide or Melbourne although they had asked to use the WACA. Since then, agreement has been reached between the two boards to ensure the suitability of warm-up matches in future Ashes series.

Officially, at least, last season’s PM XI’s fixture did provide England a chance to prepare for the day-night Test in Brisbane but the visitors opted to field the A side for the two-day pink-ball game – supplemented by Jacob Bethell, Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts who would later feature in the Ashes – citing the vastly different conditions between Maunka Oval and the Gabba.

“The Prime Minister’s XI match has a proud place in Australian cricket history and it’s fitting the XI will take on the best England can throw at us ahead of the one-off Test,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

“The 150th Anniversary Test will be a special occasion for cricket fans across Australia and around the world, and I look forward to helping select a Prime Minister’s XI that will provide a terrific contest in the lead-up to that historic match.”

Todd Greenberg, the CA chief executive, said: “Playing the match under lights in Melbourne will give the PM’s XI fantastic exposure during what will be an exciting time for cricket. We are confident there will be big crowds at the Junction Oval to see the PM’s XI take on a full-strength England team as they prepare for the challenge of facing Australia in the 150th Anniversary Test match.”

The PM’s XI fixture will add to a busy period of cricket in Melbourne with Australia’s women facing New Zealand in ODIs at Junction Oval on March 8 and 10 as part of their tour which had to be adjusted due to the shifting of the inaugural Champions Trophy.

Canberra will host two full internationals in the 2026-27 season: England’s men play a T20I on December 2 and New Zealand’s women visit for an ODI on March 6.

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