MUMBAI: ESPN STAR Sports, India’s premier sports network, will showcase the 2006-2007 cricket series between Australia and England, The Ashes, LIVE and Exclusive, starting from November 23, 2006. The five-test series between the world’s two oldest and most celebrated rivals, England and Australia will be played in Australia this year.
The five-Test series has matches scheduled at Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. England goes into the series as holder of the Ashes and requiring to win or draw the series to retain them. Till date, out of the 62 Ashes series Australia has won 30 and England has been victorious 27 times. The remaining five series were drawn, with Australia retaining the Ashes four times and England retaining it once.
The failure of England to regain the Ashes for 16 years from 1989, coupled with the global dominance of the Australian team, had dulled the lustre of the series in recent years. But the close results in the 2005 Ashes series, and the overall high quality and competitiveness of the cricket, have boosted the popularity of the sport in Britain and considerably enhanced the profile of the Ashes around the world.
The forthcoming series is expected to be extremely tough for England to win, with key players missing from the team list. Michael Vaughan, England's successful captain in the 2005 Ashes series will be unavailable due to injury and there are also concerns about other key players Andrew Flintoff, Simon Jones and Ashley Giles. Jones was eventually not selected due to injury. The likelihood of Monty Panesar playing against Australia in the 2006-07 Ashes has added to the strength of England’s team. The battle between the new English icon and the Aussies serves up a treat for cricket fans across the globe. The Australians on the other hand, have gone strength to strength post their Ashes defeat last year. With a rejuvenated Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, their two top bowlers and Captain Ricky Ponting’s dominant form, that made him ICC’s cricketer of the year, England would have to play their cards well to retain the world’s most glorified cricketing series.
The Ashes 2006 promises cricket at its best. Catch the Oldest Cricketing Rivalry at its competitive best live & exclusive only on ESPN STAR Sports starting 23rd November 2006.
| Date | Event | Time | Channel |
| November 23-27 | The Ashes, First Test, Brisbane | 05:28 | ESPN |
| December 1-5 | The Ashes, Second Test, Adelaide | 05:58 | ESPN |
| December 14-18 | The Ashes, Third Test, Perth | 07:58 | ESPN |
| December 26-30 | The Ashes, Fourth Test, Melbourne | 04:58 | ESPN |
| January 2-6 | The Ashes, Fifth Test, Sydney | 04:58 | ESPN |
*Schedule subject to change
