The absence of an Ashes Test match in the north of England next summer stems from a legal dispute related to the allocation of venues for the 2023 series between England and Australia. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) reportedly paid approximately £1 million in damages to Hampshire following the resolution of this dispute.

Hampshire brought a legal challenge after being bypassed in favor of Yorkshire, which hosted the third Ashes Test at Headingley in 2023. The county argued that it had been assured a 2023 Ashes Test at a 2018 meeting of the 18 first-class counties, alongside venues such as Old Trafford, Edgbaston, Lord’s, and The Oval. According to Hampshire, Headingley’s match was supposed to be scheduled for 2027 instead.

Initially, the ECB planned for Old Trafford and Headingley to each host an Ashes Test in 2023 and 2027 respectively. However, this was altered following recommendations from a four-person independent panel, which suggested the Test originally allocated to Hampshire be reassigned to Headingley for 2023.

At the time, the ECB was chaired by Colin Graves, a former Yorkshire chairman who later returned to Headingley in 2024 to help address the club’s financial challenges. An ECB statement from February 2018 noted that Graves recused himself from discussions involving the independent panel’s recommendations, with the final decision taken by the ECB Board. Graves reaffirmed this week that he was not involved in awarding international fixtures, stating that a "balanced scorecard" system overseen by the panel determined the allocations.

Despite Graves’ claims, Hampshire pursued legal action, leading to an out-of-court settlement that included a financial payment from the ECB. The board is understood to have approved the compensation some years after the initial dispute and following Graves’ departure as chair in 2020.

Graves’ involvement in Yorkshire cricket dates back to 2012 when he served as executive chair until 2015 before joining the ECB. During that period, Yorkshire did not host any Ashes Tests, partly due to financial constraints that prevented the club from bidding for such fixtures in 2013 and 2015. The club reportedly owed Graves around £22 million, which he transferred to a family trust upon leaving Headingley for the ECB, while also securing an additional £20 million in borrowing to develop the ground. Headingley was later awarded two Test matches in ECB’s 2018 venue allocation for 2020 to 2024 to aid its financial recovery.

The venue selection for the 2027 Ashes has drawn criticism, with Trent Bridge in Nottingham remaining the sole northern ground scheduled to host a Test, following the legal fallout. Hampshire’s relationship with the ECB has improved over recent years, with the county hosting multiple Tests and T20 matches, including fixtures at the Ageas Bowl during the pandemic-affected 2020 season. Despite regularly hosting international matches since 2003, including Tests against India and Sri Lanka, next year’s Ashes Test will be Hampshire’s first in the series.

Neither the ECB nor Hampshire have provided official comments on the matter.