The oldest rivalry in Australian sport reignites this August 1st at 7.30pm AEST, with The Ashes on Nine.
All five Test matches between Australia and England will be live, exclusive and in HD during primetime on Nine and 9GEM (varies by state – check guides for details), and streamed live on 9Now.
The Australian men’s side are the current keepers of The Urn and are attempting to retain on foreign soil after defeating England at home in 2017. They will be looking to keep pace with the Australian women’s side who this week secured n Ashes victory of their own.
Last time they met was in the One Day format as the English side ended Australia’s World Cup dream last month.
Hosting Nine’s coverage will be Todd Woodbridge, alongside former Australian men’s captain Mark Taylor, former Australian women’s captains Melanie Jones and Lisa Sthalekar, and Aussie wicket-keeping great, Ian Healy. Additional commentary will be provided by Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Michael Atherton, David Lloyd, Isa Guha and more.
“Like most Australians, I grew up watching the cricket on our screens every year”, said Woodbridge. “Hosting something as iconic as The Ashes is a real privilege, and I can’t wait to work with some of the legends of Aussie cricket.”
Mark Taylor, an Ashes-winning former captain of the Australian side, feels the series will be tight in 2019. “Both sides are filled with match winners, but I think the Aussies could have enough firepower to get them over the line this year and retain The Urn”, said Taylor. “It’s shaping up to be a brilliant series.”
Former Australian women’s captain Mel Jones – also no stranger to Ashes success – said, “Justin Langer’s first Ashes series as coach, Tim Paine’s as captain. Fresh, new faces for the oldest of competitions. This series will uncover new Australian heroes and reaffirm old ones as they take on the old foe on away soil.”
The five Test matches will continue over August and September, beginning at 7:30pm AEST this Thursday August 1st on Nine, 9Gem and 9Now.