You know the exact feeling. Summer is in the air, or maybe it is the dead of winter and you are huddled under a blanket. Either way, the biggest rivalry in world sport is about to start. The Australian men’s cricket team is padding up to face England. It is a tradition that stops the nation.
But there is always that moment of panic right before the first ball is bowled. You grab the remote. You scroll through the guide. And you suddenly realise you have no idea what channel the game is actually on this year. Broadcasting rights change so often these days. It can be a massive headache just trying to find the match.
Look, you are not alone. Whether they are playing for the famous little urn in London or battling it out under the lights at the MCG, finding the right broadcast is half the battle. So here is what you need to know. We are going to break down every single way you can watch the boys in the baggy green take on the Poms, depending on where the match is being played.
Watching the Matches Played in Australia
Let us start with the easiest scenario. The home summer. The sun is shining, the pitch is hard, and the games are on during normal waking hours. When England tours Australia, the broadcasting situation is pretty straightforward for locals.
For a long time now, home test matches have been shared across two main networks. You have your free-to-air option and your paid option. Channel 7 holds the free-to-air rights for test cricket played on Australian soil. This means you can just flick on your normal television, go to channel 70 or 73, and watch the game without paying a cent.
But there is a catch. Channel 7 does not have the rights to stream the matches on their 7Plus app. I know, it is incredibly frustrating. You might be stuck on a train or sitting at your desk at work, thinking you can just open the app and watch the boys bat. You cannot. The free-to-air rights are strictly for your traditional television set.
If you want to stream the game on your phone, tablet, or smart TV, you need to look at Fox Cricket. Fox holds the digital and subscription rights for the home summer. This means you need a Foxtel subscription or an active Kayo Sports account to stream the matches live.
The benefit of watching on Fox or Kayo is the lack of ad breaks during the actual play. You get uninterrupted coverage, dedicated cricket shows during the lunch break, and you do not have to watch the same car commercial fifty times a day.
When the Boys Head to England
Now, this is where things get a bit more complicated. And a lot more exhausting. When the Australian team travels to England for an away series, the broadcasting rights completely change. Channel 7 and Fox Cricket do not automatically get to show these games.
Historically, the Nine Network has been the home of the away Ashes series. Channel 9 loves picking up the rights for the UK tours. If Channel 9 has the rights, you can watch the matches on traditional free-to-air TV. And the best part is, you can also stream them live and free on the 9Now app.
This is a massive relief for anyone who does not want to pay for a sports subscription just for one series. You can lay in bed with your iPad, open 9Now, and watch the game until you inevitably fall asleep around 2 AM.
However, you always need to double-check before the first test. Sometimes, Fox Sports manages to secure the simulcast rights for away tours. This means the games might be shown on both Channel 9 and Fox Cricket at the same time. If this happens, Kayo subscribers can still enjoy the ad-free experience, while everyone else can stick to the free option on Nine.
Comparing Your Viewing Options
It helps to see it all laid out simply. Here is a breakdown of the main platforms you will likely use to watch the cricket, depending on the location of the tour.
| Platform | Cost | Best Feature | Matches Shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channel 7 | Free | Accessible to everyone with an antenna | Home matches only |
| Channel 9 / 9Now | Free | Free streaming on mobile devices | Usually away UK matches |
| Foxtel / Fox Cricket | Paid Subscription | 4K resolution and no ads during play | Home matches (sometimes away) |
| Kayo Sports | Monthly Fee | Kayo Minis and split-screen viewing | Home matches (sometimes away) |
That table should give you a clear picture of what you are dealing with. If you are a casual fan, the free options are more than enough. But if you are a cricket tragic who needs to see every single ball from every single angle, the paid streaming services are hard to beat.
Surviving the Late Night UK Time Zones
We need to talk about the physical toll of watching an away series. If the game is in London, Birmingham, or Leeds, the time zones are absolutely brutal for us in Australia. The first ball usually drops around 8 PM on the east coast. That is fine. But the final session does not wrap up until 3 AM or 4 AM.
If you live in Perth, you actually have the perfect time zone for UK cricket. The game starts in the late afternoon and finishes around midnight. You lucky things. But for everyone in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide, it is a test of endurance.
You find yourself making terrible decisions. You tell yourself you will just watch until the lunch break. Then a wicket falls. Suddenly it is 1 AM. Your eyes are heavy, but the match is too close to call. You drag yourself to work the next day feeling like a zombie. We have all been there.
Here is what you need to survive those late-night viewing sessions.
- Pace your caffeine intake. Do not drink three coffees at 7 PM or you will crash by midnight. Drink water and maybe have a tea during the tea break.
- Dim the screens. If you are watching on an iPad in bed, turn the brightness down. It stops your brain from thinking it is midday and helps you sleep the second stumps are called.
- Embrace the tactical sickie. If the match is going down to the wire on day five, just accept that you are not going to be productive tomorrow. Warn your boss early.
The Magic of Kayo Minis
This brings me to a really important feature for those who cannot stay awake all night. If you subscribe to Kayo, they offer something called Kayo Minis. These are absolute lifesavers during an away series.
Instead of waking up and frantically checking the score on a news website and ruining the surprise, you can open the app and watch a twenty-minute condensed version of the entire day’s play. They edit out all the dead balls, the long walks back to the mark, and just show the boundaries, the wickets, and the near misses.
It is the perfect thing to watch while you are eating your cereal before work. You get to see the flow of the game, understand how the pitch is playing, and see the brilliant catches without losing eight hours of sleep. Just make sure you turn the “No Spoilers” setting on in the app, or it will ruin the final score before you even hit play.
Heading Down to the Local Pub
Sometimes watching at home is just not enough. You need the atmosphere. You need the collective groan of fifty people when an Aussie batter nicks off to the slips. You need the pub.
Watching England play Australia at the local pub is a cultural institution. It is usually packed. The big projector screen is pulled down over the stage. The commentary is blaring over the speakers. It is the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Most pubs in Australia have Foxtel commercial licenses. This means they will definitely have the game on, regardless of whether it is a home or away series. You do not need to worry about which channel has the rights. The publican has already sorted it out for you.
Just grab a table near the screen, order a chicken parma, and settle in. But remember, there is a certain etiquette to watching test cricket at the pub. You cannot just act like you are in your own living room.
- Do not stand directly in front of the main screen with your mates holding your beers. Everyone else wants to see the fast bowler running in.
- If the pub has the racing on one screen and the cricket on the other, respect the boundary. Do not demand they change the racing channel if a group of old blokes are watching the dogs.
- When a wicket falls, a cheer is mandatory. Even if it is the opposition. A good delivery deserves a nod of respect, even after a few pints.
The Classic Radio Alternative
Let me tell you about an option that a lot of people forget. The radio. There is something incredibly nostalgic about listening to the cricket on the radio. It takes you back to being a kid, sitting in the back of the car on a hot summer road trip, listening to the static-filled commentary.
The ABC Grandstand team is world-class. They paint a picture with their words. You can close your eyes and know exactly where the ball went, how the pitch is behaving, and what the weather feels like. They do not just call the game. They talk about the history, the weird seagulls on the outfield, and what they had for lunch.
If you are working in the garden, painting a fence, or driving to a mate’s place, the ABC listen app is your best friend. You can stream the live radio commentary completely free. You do not need to look at a screen at all.
A lot of hardcore fans actually prefer the radio commentators over the television commentators. In fact, a very common setup in Australian living rooms is to turn the television on, mute the volume entirely, and put the ABC radio broadcast on a speaker. It takes a bit of effort to sync the audio with the video, but once you get it right, it is the perfect viewing experience.
Comparing the Audio and Visual Options
If you are trying to decide how you want to consume the match this weekend, think about what you are actually doing. You do not always need a massive screen.
| Format | Best Used When | Vibe |
|---|---|---|
| Television (Couch) | Entertaining mates, ordering pizza | Focused and social |
| Mobile Device (Bed) | Late-night UK matches | Quiet and desperate to sleep |
| Radio (ABC Listen) | Driving, working outside, or doing chores | Relaxed and nostalgic |
Mix and match your platforms. Watch the first session on the TV. Listen to the second session on the radio while you cook dinner. Then watch the final session on your phone in bed. The modern broadcasting landscape means you never actually have to miss a ball.
Dealing with English Weather
We have to mention the rain. If you are watching an away series in the UK, you are going to spend a lot of time looking at covers on a pitch. The English weather is famously terrible for cricket.
There is nothing worse than staying up until midnight, only to see the umpires pull out the light meters and walk off the field because of a slight drizzle. The broadcasters scramble to fill the airtime. They show old highlights from the 2005 series. They interview random former players in the crowd. It is agonizing.
If the rain delay hits, you have to make a choice. Do you wait it out? Or do you go to sleep? My advice is to look at the local weather radar on your phone. If there is a massive green blob hovering over London, just turn the TV off and get some rest. Do not waste your night waiting for a covers-off announcement that is never going to come.
Here are a few ways to kill time during a frustrating rain delay.
- Argue with your mates in your group chat about who should be dropped from the team next match.
- Scroll through cricket forums to read wild conspiracy theories about the pitch preparation.
- Go make a toasted sandwich. It is 1 AM. You deserve a snack.
The Ultimate Home Setup
If you are hosting a viewing party for a massive match, you need to get the setup right. It is not just about turning the TV on. You need the right environment.
First, make sure your internet connection is solid if you are streaming via Kayo. There is nothing worse than the stream buffering right as the fast bowler reaches the delivery stride. Plug your smart TV directly into the router with an ethernet cable if you can. It stops the annoying lag.
Second, get the snacks sorted early. Cricket is a slow burn. You need food that lasts. Chips, dips, maybe a few meat pies in the oven. If it is a daytime home match, fire up the barbecue. A sausage sandwich at the lunch break is basically an Australian law.
And finally, have a secondary screen ready. Keep your phone or a laptop open on the coffee table with a live scorecard. Sometimes the TV graphics do not show you the specific bowling figures you want to see. Having a cricket website open lets you look at the deep stats while the commentators talk about nonsense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What channel is the home series on?
Home test matches are broadcast live and free on Channel 7, while Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports offer ad-free coverage for paying subscribers.
Can I stream the games for free on 7Plus?
No, Channel 7 does not hold the digital streaming rights for test cricket. You can only watch it on a traditional television set.
Where can I watch the away matches in the UK?
Away series are typically broadcast on the Nine Network and can be streamed for free on the 9Now app, though Fox Sports sometimes shares these rights.
Is the cricket on the radio?
Yes, you can listen to live, ad-free commentary on ABC Radio or stream it via the ABC Listen app on your smartphone.
Do I need Foxtel to use Kayo Sports?
No, Kayo Sports is a standalone streaming service. You just need an internet connection and a compatible device to sign up and watch.
What are Kayo Minis?
Kayo Minis are short, condensed highlight packages of the day’s play, perfect for catching up on overnight matches without watching all eight hours.
Will pubs show the game if it is on a paid channel?
Yes, the vast majority of Australian pubs and sports bars have commercial subscriptions to Foxtel and will show the major cricket matches live.
Wrapping Up the Viewing Guide
So, there you have it. That is the complete landscape of where to watch the England cricket team take on the Australian men’s cricket team. It might seem a bit complicated with all the different networks and apps, but once you know the rules of home versus away, it is pretty easy to navigate.
Whether you are sitting on the couch with the free-to-air broadcast, listening to the classic radio commentary while pulling weeds in the garden, or staying up until dawn watching a stream on your phone, you are part of something massive. This rivalry means so much to so many people.
Make sure your apps are downloaded, your TV is tuned, and your coffee is brewing. The pitch is ready, the players are walking out, and you do not want to miss a single second of the action. Enjoy the cricket.
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