England are planning a pink-ball warm-up match before the 150th anniversary Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 2027. The Ashes rivals will play a one-off day-night Test to mark the historic occasion, exactly 150 years after their first Test match on the same ground in 1877.

This preparation comes after England's disappointing 4-1 defeat in this winter's Ashes series, where their lack of pink-ball practice was heavily criticized. The team only played one in-house warm-up before the series and had no match practice with the pink ball before the day-night Test in Brisbane. Coach Brendon McCullum admitted mistakes in their preparation after conceding the series following the third Test in Adelaide.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has held talks with Cricket Australia about a reciprocal arrangement to provide touring teams with better preparation before Ashes series. While Melbourne's Junction Oval is a possible venue for the warm-up, nothing has been confirmed. England have lost all four of their day-night Tests in Australia, and there's unlikely to be such a match in the next Ashes series down under.