An ignominious Ashes whitewash may now have been avoided, but there's still plenty of pride to play for between Australia and England Down Under. So if you're keen to see how this series plays out, we'll explain how to get an Ashes live stream from anywhere – including how to watch Australia vs England for free in some places.
Dates: December 8 - January 18
Start times: Various (full Ashes schedule below)
FREE Ashes live stream: Kayo Sports (14-day trial) (opens in new tab)
Global live streams: BT Sport (opens in new tab) (UK) | Sony Six (opens in new tab) (India) | Sky Sport (opens in new tab) (NZ) | Willow TV via Sling TV (US)
Watch anywhere: try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free (opens in new tab)
Few sporting events drum up national fervor quite like the Ashes, as Australia and England do battle on the cricket pitch over one of the oldest (and smallest) trophies in sport. But after just three matches, the hosts won the series at a canter, having blown a sorry England away in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne.
Joe Root's battered and bruised players looked down and out, but at least managed to salvage a draw in Sydney... just. Ravaged by injuries, can they leave on a high note in Hobart?
Pat Cummins' Australia, on the other hand, have look surprisingly galvanized. Even when their skipper and Josh Hazelwood have had to miss out, their strength in depth has shone through. And they now boast the world's best-rated Test batsman, after Marnus Labuschagne's performances have helped him leapfrog - yep, you guessed it - Joe Root at the top.
It's one of sport's great soap operas, so follow our guide for all you need to know to watch a 2021-22 Ashes live stream no matter where you are - and, perhaps best of all, fans in Australia can watch the Ashes free on TV on Channel 7. Kayo Sports (opens in new tab) is how to watch the Ashes online and on your mobile wherever you are.
Keep reading for all the information you need, including details of the Test dates and schedule, the sides' teams and other key narrative around the series.
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How to watch the Ashes FREE: live stream in Australia
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How to watch an Ashes live stream in the UK
(opens in new tab)How to watch Ashes from outside your country
Below we've got you covered with your official broadcasting options for major cricket loving countries (and the US!), but if you're outside your country of residence and try to start streaming Ashes cricket via your local broadcaster, you'll soon discover that you can't, as it's location restricted. But there is a way to tune in regardless.
By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it's back at home. That way you can enjoy your home coverage without having to find an illegal stream - assuming you comply with the broadcaster's fine print, of course - specifically its terms and conditions.
Use a VPN to live stream Ashes cricket from anywhere
(opens in new tab)Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...
1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN
2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location
3. Go to the broadcaster's stream - head to your home broadcaster's site or app and watch as if you were at home - so that's Kayo Sports for Aussies (opens in new tab).
2021-22 Ashes schedule: Test dates and times
- 1st Test: Australia won by 9 wickets
- 2nd Test: Australia won by 275 runs
- 3rd Test: Australia won by an innings and 14 runs
- 4th Test: Match drawn
- 5th Test: Jan 14-18 一 Bellerive Oval, Hobart 一 2pm AEDT / 3am GMT
How to live stream 2021-22 Ashes in New Zealand
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Ashes live stream: how to watch Australia vs England Test cricket in India
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Ashes cricket live stream: where to watch Australia vs England in the US (and Canada)
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Where will the 2021-22 Ashes be played?
The 2021-22 Ashes are being played in Australia, with each of the five Tests being played at a different venue.
The Gabba in Brisbane hosts the opening Test, before play moves west to the Adelaide Oval, then east to the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sydney Cricket Ground, after which Perth Stadium will host the fifth, and potentially decisive Test.
2021-22 Ashes squads: Australia
Pat Cummins (c), Alex Carey. Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Steve Smith, David Warner
2021-22 Ashes squads: England
Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Who won the Ashes last time?
For only the sixth time ever, the Ashes ended in a draw the last time the series was played, which was in 2019.
Australia won the first and fourth Tests, and England took victory in the third and fifth Tests, while the rain-disrupted second ended in a draw.
That means Australia, who entered that series as the holders, having been victorious in the previous edition, retained the Ashes for just the second time this century.
Is the Ashes every two years?
The Ashes are contested roughly once every two years, 71 series having been played since its inception in 1882.
Australia have the upper hand, having won 33 Ashes series outright to England's 32.
Six series have ended with the honours even, with Australia retaining the trophy on five of those occasions.
The Test results are far less evenly split, Australia having won 136 to England's 108, and 91 ending in a draw.
Why is it called the Ashes?
The Ashes founding myth is one of the most famous in all of sport.
It started with Australia dishing out England's first ever defeat on English soil in August '82, a low-scoring affair that provoked hysteria from local media outlets. Some things never change.
A multitude of mock obituaries for English cricket were published, but it was the elegy penned by The Sporting Times' Reginald Shirley Brooks in early September, which gave birth to the concept:
In Affectionate Remembrance
of
ENGLISH CRICKET,
which died at the Oval
on
29 August 1882,
Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing
friends and acquaintances
R.I.P.
N.B.—The body will be cremated and the
ashes taken to Australia.
Weeks later, England captain Ivo Bligh pledged to "recover those Ashes" during the team's subsequent 1882-83 tour of Australia. His quest was successful, and the story goes that Bligh was presented with a tiny urn containing the ashes of a burned bail.
The urn is now on display at Lord's Cricket Ground, with a symbolic terracotta replica awarded to the winning team instead.
Why is the 2005 Ashes so famous?
England's victory in 2005 ended the longest winning streak in Ashes history, a 17-year era of Australian dominance during which England won just seven Tests, compared to Australia's 28.
The series is, therefore, celebrated as a classic within English circles, the two-run winning margin in the second Test - the smallest in Ashes history - evening up the scores after Australia comfortably took the opener, and spurring England to their first Ashes triumph since 1987, and their first on home soil since '85.
