New Delhi, July 23 -- neither Old Trafford nor Headingley makes the schedule. For supporters in Manchester and Leeds, the confirmation restates a decision the ECB first signalled in 2023. The next Ashes Test at either northern ground now sits at least four years away.

The series opens at Trent Bridge on June 18, followed by Lord's on June 30, Edgbaston on July 8, the Rose Bowl on July 21 and The Oval from July 29 into early August. Four of the five grounds sit south of Nottingham. The most telling detail in the confirmed list is not which venues are included but which are absent.

The Rose Bowl's inclusion is a milestone for Hampshire cricket. The ground staged its first Test in 2011 and has campaigned since for Ashes inclusion, expandin...