Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the English Cricket Board’s intention not to schedule matches at Old Trafford in Lancashire and Headingly in Yorkshire as part of the next Ashes series held in this country; and what steps, if any, they will take to persuade the ECB to reverse this decision.

The hosting of Ashes test matches is a matter for the ECB as the governing body for cricket in England and Wales.

His Majesty’s Government is committed to supporting the hosting of sporting events across the UK and encourages all event organisers to consider not only the economic benefits that their events will generate, but also the wider social benefits they will bring such as volunteering, community engagement, and physical and mental wellbeing.