Key Points
- Lancashire Cricket says Emirates Old Trafford will host five major matches in 2027, including two Australia fixtures and a Pakistan ODI.
- England Men v Pakistan in a Metro Bank One Day International is scheduled for Wednesday 19 May 2027.
- Australia Men will face England Lions in a four-day fixture from Monday 7 June to Thursday 10 June 2027.
- England Women will play Australia in a Women’s Ashes Vitality IT20 on Friday 9 July 2027.
- England Men will return to Old Trafford to face New Zealand in a Vitality IT20 on Thursday 9 September 2027.
- Lancashire also says the Roses T20 against Yorkshire will return on Friday 2 July 2027, subject to date confirmation.
- The club will open a ticket ballot for major matches on Wednesday 2 September 2026, with general sale due on Wednesday 14 October 2026.
- Lancashire Cricket Chair Dame Sarah Storey said the club is “thrilled” to host the Women’s Ashes in Manchester and wants to inspire the next generation.
Trafford (Manchester Mirror) July 24, 2026 – Lancashire Cricket has confirmed a major 2027 fixture list for Emirates Old uk/local/trafford/">Trafford Cricket Ground, with England, Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand and Yorkshire all due to feature across the summer. The announcement places Manchester at the centre of several key matches, including an international against Pakistan, a Women’s Ashes clash, a men’s warm-up fixture for Australia and the return of the Roses T20.
As reported by Lancashire Cricket, the schedule gives Emirates Old Trafford two separate meetings with Australia in 2027. England Women will host Australia in a Women’s Ashes IT20 on Friday 9 July, while Australia Men will play England Lions in a four-day fixture beginning Monday 7 June ahead of the men’s Ashes Test series. The club also confirmed England Men v Pakistan, England Men v New Zealand and Lancashire Lightning v Yorkshire as part of the same major-match programme.
The announcement also ties the fixture release to ticket access plans. Lancashire says members will get first access to tickets at the best prices, while a ballot system will be used because of expected demand. General sale is expected later in the autumn if seats remain available.
Which matches are on the schedule?
Lancashire Cricket listed five headline fixtures for Emirates Old Trafford in 2027. The matches cover all three of England’s major representative sides at home, alongside a Lancashire derby in the Vitality T20 Blast.
- England Men v Pakistan, Metro Bank One Day International – Wednesday 19 May 2027.
- England Lions v Australia – Monday 7 June to Thursday 10 June 2027.
- Lancashire Lightning v Yorkshire, Vitality T20 Blast – Friday 2 July 2027, date to be confirmed.
- England Women v Australia, Metro Bank Women’s Ashes, Vitality IT20 – Friday 9 July 2027.
- England Men v New Zealand, Vitality IT20 – Thursday 9 September 2027.
The Pakistan fixture is the first major match on the list and will bring men’s white-ball international cricket back to Old Trafford in May. After that, the ground moves into a busy June and July sequence that includes the Australia men’s warm-up, the Roses derby and the Women’s Ashes match. September then closes the international run with a men’s IT20 against New Zealand.
Why does Australia feature twice?
Australia are due to appear at Emirates Old Trafford in two different formats because the ground is part of both the women’s Ashes series and the men’s Ashes build-up. The first meeting comes when Australia Women play England Women in a Metro Bank Women’s Ashes IT20 on 9 July, which Lancashire says is a major summer highlight. The second comes four days into June, when Australia Men face England Lions in a four-day fixture.
That four-day match is particularly important because it sits ahead of the men’s Ashes Test series and gives Australia valuable preparation time. Lancashire’s announcement says the fixture begins on Monday 7 June and runs through Thursday 10 June, creating a red-ball contest before the main Tests begin. The arrangement shows Old Trafford’s continuing role in high-profile cricket even when it is not staging a men’s Ashes Test itself.
What did Dame Sarah Storey say?
Lancashire Cricket Chair Dame Sarah Storey said the club is “thrilled” to host the Women’s Ashes in Manchester next summer. She linked the announcement with the recent hosting of five ICC T20 Women’s World Cup matches and said women’s cricket is growing quickly.
Storey added that Lancashire wants to be at the heart of that growth and help inspire the next generation. She also said the club is looking forward to welcoming Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia’s men’s teams to Emirates Old Trafford for what she described as outstanding cricket featuring many of the world’s best players.
Her comments place the fixture list in a wider development context rather than presenting it only as a calendar update. The message is that Lancashire sees the 2027 programme as part of a broader push to support elite cricket and the women’s game in particular.
How will ticketing work?
Lancashire Cricket said 2027 members will receive first access to tickets at the best prices. The club also confirmed that memberships will go on sale later in the summer, giving supporters a route into the priority window before the public sale begins.
Because the matches are expected to draw strong demand, Lancashire says it will operate a ticket ballot system. That ballot opens on Wednesday 2 September 2026 at 10am and closes on Tuesday 29 September 2026. Any remaining seats will then go on general sale on Wednesday 14 October 2026.
The club is also encouraging fans to register interest in advance so they can be first to hear ballot and ticketing details. Lancashire says everyone who registers interest for the major matches will be entered into a prize draw with hospitality rewards attached to four of the fixtures.
What prize draw is being offered?
The prize draw linked to registration includes a small set of hospitality prizes across the major-match programme. Lancashire says the rewards are spread across both international and domestic fixtures.
The prizes are:
- A pitch-view room for England Men v New Zealand.
- A pitch-view room for England Women v Australia.
- Two hospitality tickets for England Men v Pakistan.
- Two hospitality tickets for Lancashire Lightning v Yorkshire.
That incentive is designed to encourage early sign-up ahead of the ballot period. It also reflects the expected popularity of the fixtures, especially the women’s Ashes match and the Yorkshire derby.
Background of the development
Emirates Old Trafford is one of Lancashire Cricket’s main international venues and has long been used for men’s, women’s and domestic cricket. The 2027 schedule continues that pattern by combining England internationals with a high-profile county rivalry and a four-day representative match involving Australia.
The fixture announcement also sits within the ECB’s wider 2027 home calendar, which is shaped heavily by the Ashes. Lancashire’s role is notable because it includes a women’s Ashes IT20 and an Australia men’s warm-up fixture, even though the ground is not hosting a men’s Ashes Test. That gives the venue a different but still important place in the summer.
In practical terms, the release gives supporters a long lead time for planning tickets, travel and hospitality. It also signals that Manchester will remain a major cricket destination through spring, summer and early autumn 2027.
What could this mean for fans?
For Lancashire members, the announcement creates an early opportunity to secure priority access before wider demand builds. The ballot system suggests that the most attractive fixtures, especially England Women v Australia and England Men v Pakistan, may sell quickly.
For local cricket followers in Manchester, the schedule means a varied summer rather than a single flagship match. Supporters will be able to choose between international white-ball cricket, a women’s Ashes contest, the Roses derby and an Australia warm-up fixture.
For women’s cricket audiences, the July IT20 is the standout fixture because it places the Women’s Ashes on one of England’s major grounds. For wider England cricket followers, the September match against New Zealand adds another international date to the calendar and extends the season at Old Trafford beyond the traditional midsummer period.
