Cricket Australia is willing to consider taking one of cricket’s biggest rivalries to India, with Chief Executive Todd Greenberg saying the governing body is open to the idea of staging a one-off Test against England outside the traditional Ashes schedule.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Greenberg addressed the prospect of an Australia-England Test being played in India for the first time.
“It’s not something that we are planning, but it’s open for consideration. We’d have to be open to considering all options,” Greenberg said.
Any proposal would require the backing of both the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), with Australia and England traditionally contesting Test matches only as part of home-and-away Ashes series.
“Our relationship with the ECB and the BCCI is very strong and clearly there are opportunities in India to put more content in certain areas,” he added.
India strategy extends beyond the Big Bash League
The comments come as Cricket Australia continues to expand its presence in the world’s biggest cricket market. As previously reported by cricexec, the Big Bash League will be staged in India for the first time later this year, with Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers scheduled to meet in the opener in Chennai as part of the competition’s international expansion.
Australia and England are also due to play a standalone 150th Anniversary Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 2027 to commemorate the first Test match between the two nations. Any future fixture in India would sit outside the Ashes programme.
Greenberg believes Test cricket involving Australia, England and India remains one of the strongest parts of the international game.
“I think Test cricket between us, India and England is very strong and probably bucking the trend in some other parts of the world. We want to make sure we grow and strengthen it,” he said.
Scheduling remains the biggest obstacle
Speaking on the BBC’s Stumped podcast, Greenberg also reflected on the practical difficulties of adding more marquee fixtures to the international calendar.
“The challenge for all of us in global cricket is there’s only 365 days in a schedule and we probably need another month or two (to) generate some of the content that we’re trying to,” he noted.
With ICC tournaments, bilateral series and franchise competitions all competing for space, Greenberg said scheduling remains one of the sport’s biggest challenges.
“(The) number of ICC world events, World Cups, franchise cricket … plus bilateral cricket, (has put) an enormous strain on players and opportunity and created some real challenges with the schedule, something that we’re talking regularly about,” he added.
Greenberg’s comments underline Cricket Australia’s willingness to explore new ways of showcasing Test cricket while balancing an increasingly congested international schedule.
