England have played 117 series of five Test matches or longer. However, since the 2008-09 series in the West Indies, their 14 five-Test series have been only against Australia (nine) and India (five). In fact, the only other five-match Test series over this period has been between Australia and India, in 2024-25.
It has been sort of unanimously accepted (informally, of course) that the Big Three would play each other for five-Test series; series featuring exactly one Big Three side will be of at most three Tests; and all other series would be of two Tests or fewer. So much so that it became news when the West Indies announced that they would play three Tests in New Zealand in 2026.
According to a report in The Telegraph, however, England are planning five-match Test series against countries other than Australia and India “as part of plans to galvanise interest in the format”.
The ECB believes that these longer series “would help to cultivate interest in the Test game”, “show off the format’s unique capacity to develop narratives over multiple games,” and “create more of a sense of occasion”.
However, the plans can take place only in 2028 or after. England’s schedule until then will include the six series of the 2025-27 World Test Championship and other Tests, while 2027 is a home Ashes summer. For that, Pakistan and South Africa have been “lined up as potential opponents”: these are teams “against which England have historic rivalries, and which have significant support in England”.
While there are ongoing discussions for both four- and five-match series, there is “strong consideration for taking the radical step” for the latter.
When did England last play five-Test series against non-Big Three teams?
England last hosted South Africa for five Tests in 2003 that ended in a 2-2 draw. However, they did host South Africa for four Tests in 2008 (South Africa won 2-1) and 2017 (England 3-1). Pakistan, on the other hand, last played four Tests in England in 2016 (2-2), and five Tests in 1992 (Pakistan 2-1).
However, the report mentions that longer series in England need not mean more Test cricket in the country. They are planned to host six Tests in 2028, which can merely be split up.
The report also speaks concerns in English cricket that summers featuring neither Australia nor India “risk being seen as comparatively fallow years and struggle to engage the public”. These concerns have led to England ensuring that India or Australia visit them in summers where neither of them tours England for Tests.
“The format [Tests] continues to be English cricket’s biggest source of revenue,” concluded the report. “Grounds in England still sell out for Test cricket, making a continued supply of attractive opponents essential for the game’s finances.”
