How to watch Australia vs England and live stream Boxing Day Test Ashes cricket anywhere in the world

The 2021-22 Ashes may not be technically over yet, but England are going to need to pull off something very special indeed to salvage a result - and their dignity - Down Under. As the teams head to the MCG for the Boxing Day Test, follow our guide to watch an Ashes live stream from wherever you are in the world.

Joe Root's men are beaten and battered after two crushing defeats and will inevitably ring the changes - especially in their fragile batting line-up - ahead of the trip to Melbourne. Conversely, suddenly Australia's squad looks like an embarrassment of riches, with the opportunity to welcome back captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood, too.

Can England pull off an Ashes Christmas miracle at the MCG? Settle in with the leftovers and watch an England vs Australia live stream to find out. And if you're abroad and can't access your preferred coverage, discover how you can use a VPN to bypass geo-restrictions.

When is England vs Australia 3rd Ashes Test?

The five-match Ashes in 2021-22 takes place from December 8 until January 18 with Tests taking place across Australia's numerous cricket grounds and stadiums.

Sunday's 3rd Test is at the famous MCG in Melbourne and play is scheduled to get started everyday at 10.30am AEDT, which means 11.30pm in the UK. In other parts of the world, that's 6.30pm ET, 5am IST and 12.30pm NZT.

You can find the full schedule with Test dates and times at the bottom of the page.

How to live stream the Ashes if you're abroad

If you're out of the country when the Ashes tests take place, you can still get access to a live stream - simply use the best VPN around to get past those geo-restrictions. 

With most domestic broadcasters locking streaming services to their country, you may hit a wall when it comes to accessing the likes of BT Sport or Kayo when overseas. However, by getting yourself a handy streaming VPN, you can hop on a server in any country, which will switch your IP address to make it appear as if you're browsing right from the comfort of your own home.

ExpressVPN is the six-hitter of VPN providers with its excellent speed, plethora of security features, and, of course, its ability to unlock geo-restricted content and get us the best seat in the house for the Ashes.

Better still, it offers new customers a 30-day money back guarantee, allowing you to give it a shot and find out if it's actually the service for you, before you part with your hard-earned dollar. Better still, right now you can save 49% and receive an additional 3 months with your plan for free.

- Try out ExpressVPN 100% risk free to stream England vs Australia at the Ashes

• New to VPN? Find out how to use one to unblock geo-restrictions

How to live stream the Ashes cricket in Australia for FREE

Taking place on home turf, cricket fans Down Under will be able to watch every single Ashes Test 100% for FREE, broadcasting on free-to-air channel, Channel 7.

That's great news if you'll be watching on your TV, but the rights don't extend to online streaming. For that, you'll have to rely on a subscription to the Foxtel Go app.

Alternatively, the brilliant sports streaming specialist Kayo Sports will also be showing the whole Ashes series and comes with a 14-day FREE trial. After that, you'll be on a rolling one month contract - basic is $25 while Premium is $35 a month. It's available on a massive range of devices, including iOS, Android, PlayStations, Apple TV, Chromecast, Smart TVs and more.

An Aussie abroad? Use a VPN to bypass geo-restrictions and access cricket coverage while you're away.

How to watch the Ashes in the UK

This year's Ashes will air exclusively on BT Sport this year in the UK, with plenty of late nights (or early starts depending on how you look at it) on the cards.

For £25 you can get a BT Monthly Pass. To watch all five Tests of The Ashes you'll have need to get it for two months. As well as the cricket, this will also give you access to Champions League football and UFC without paying out for a full TV package.

Not in the country right now? Using a VPN will let you watch the cricket just as you would if you were at home.

How to live stream the Ashes and watch Australia vs England anywhere else in the world

For cricket fans around the world, there are options to live stream the Ashes and watch every Australia vs England Test.

For Kiwis across the shores in New Zealand, Sky Sport is the place to watch the Ashes in 2021. Sky Sport comes as a part of many Sky TV packages, with the option to watch on TV or live stream straight to your device with the Sky Go service.

Those not committed to a cable package can use the Sky Sport Now platform, costing $19.99 for a weekly pass.

As previously mentioned, start times vary, but the earliest those in New Zealand can expect to sit down to watch the cricket is 12.30pm NZDT and the latest will be 5pm NZDT.

Those in the US and Canada can head straight to Willow TV to catch every moment of the Ashes. This channel comes as a part of most cable packages, with the option to use your cable provider's login details to access a stream through your browser on willow.tv.

For cord-cutters, we recommend signing up for Sling TV. Opt for either its Sling Blue or Sling Orange package and get your first month for just $10, benefitting from 30+ live channels. To access Willow TV, you'll need to add it as an extra to your plan for $5 a month.

Start times vary from 6.30pm ET / 3.30pm PT to 11pm ET / 8pm PT.

In India you can watch the Ashes on the Sony Sports Network. Choose between English commentary on Sony Six, Hindi commentary on Sony Ten 3, and regional languages on Sony Ten 4.

For those wanting an on-demand live stream option, you can watch on Sony Liv. This requires a premium subscription. Sign up for a year for Rs 999, six months for Rs 699, or pay Rs 299 per month.

Those in India who are Jio users also have the option of watching for free with the JioTV mobile app. Start times in India vary from 5am IST to 9.30am IST.

Outside of the country when the Ashes is on and can't access your preferred broadcaster? Download a VPN to circumvent any geo-restrictions and stream as if you were at home.

Test dates and times for the 2021 Ashes

• 1st Test: Australia won by 9 wickets
• 2nd Test: Australia won by 275 runs
• 3rd Test: December 26-30 - MCG, Melbourne, 10.30am AEDT / 11.30pm GMT
• 4th Test: January 5-9 - SCG, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT / 11.30pm GMT
• 5th Test: January 14-18 - TBC

How to use a VPN to unblock any restrictions

If you're outside of your preferred broadcaster's boundaries, you can use a VPN to unblock any geo-restrictions and watch an India vs New Zealand live stream as if you were right at home. Here's our step-by-step guide on how to do just that.

• VPN - standing for virtual private network - offers security and anonymity as you browse online, using set protocols to encrypt your data and make it unreadable to outsiders.
• As a part of that, you can also switch your IP address, which identifies your location.
• Most VPNs offer a list of locations where its servers are based to join. Connecting to them switches your IP to appear as if you're browsing from that country/city. In turn, you can then access content locked to that country.
• When it comes to finding a VPN, you should make sure you find the best one that's suitable for your chosen device, with VPN providers offering compatibility for a ton of devices, including VPN for Mac, VPN for Android smartphones, an iPad VPN, and even a range of fairly nifty free VPNs.
• Once you've made the decision for the most suitable VPN for your device and your means for using a VPN, sign-up and install it. 
• To live stream India vs New Zealand, all you need to do is select a UK server from its list of available servers and connect. You'll then be able to hop over those geo-restrictions with the likes of Sky Sports opening its online gates to you.
• We also want to ensure your money is well spent, so we would recommend going for a VPN that offers a risk free trial. ExpressVPN is one of many providers that has a 30-day money back guarantee.