After all the anticipation, the first Ashes Test was something of a let down... especially if you're an England cricket fan! Australia eased to a 9-wicket win at the Gabbattoir, and the visitors will need to lick their wounds and come out fighting in Adelaide this week. To see if they can, follow our guide to getting an Ashes 2nd Test live stream from wherever you are in the world.
England's leading every wicket taker Jimmy Anderson has returned to lead the attack with the pink ball, but the selectors are relying on an unchanged batting line-up to buck up their ideas. The awesome Aussie seam attack has been rocked as Josh Hazelwood drop out for this one through injury and captain Pat Cummins got pinged, leaving promising youngster Jhye Richardson and debutant Michael Neser to show what they can do.
It's a day/night Test match and anything can happen under those floodlights. What we can be sure of are the ways you can watch an England vs Australia live stream and, if you're abroad and can't access your preferred coverage, how you can use a VPN to bypass geo-restrictions.
When is England vs Australia 2nd 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.
Thursday's 2nd Test is at the Adelaide Oval and play is scheduled to get started everyday at 3pm AEDT (or 2.30pm local time), which means 4am in the UK. In other parts of the world, that's 11pm ET, 9.30am IST and 5pm 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.
How to live stream the Ashes cricket in Australia for FREE
How to watch the Ashes in the UK
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: December 16-20 - Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 3pm AEDT / 4am GMT
- 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.
