England's white-ball tour of Australia starts this weekend: dates to follow from Sutton this winter

England's men begin a three-week white-ball tour of Australia on Saturday with a warm-up in Perth, and five Surrey players are in the squads. Here are the dates, and why winter is a good time for young players in Sutton to keep their cricket going.

The English season finished weeks ago, but England's white-ball cricketers are about to start one of the biggest tours of the winter. The squad opens with a warm-up match against a Western Australia XI at the WACA in Perth on Saturday 7 November, according to Surrey County Cricket Club.

Then come three one-day internationals and five T20 internationals:

• Friday 13 November: first ODI, Perth

• Sunday 15 November: second ODI, Adelaide

• Wednesday 18 November: third ODI, Hobart

• Saturday 21 November: first T20I, Melbourne

• Tuesday 24 November: second T20I, Gold Coast

• Friday 27 November: third T20I, Brisbane

• Sunday 29 November: fourth T20I, Sydney

• Wednesday 2 December: fifth T20I, Canberra

(Dates from Sky Sports' tour announcement.)

Surrey interest. Five Surrey players were named for the tour: Gus Atkinson in the one-day squad, and Henry Crocombe, Sam Curran, Will Jacks and Jamie Overton in both the one-day and T20 squads.

Why it matters. Australia is one of the hardest places to play cricket, and a white-ball series there is a real test ahead of next summer. For young players it is also a good reminder that the best cricketers keep working on their game through the winter.

Keeping cricket going in Sutton. You do not need to be in Perth to keep playing. At Cheam, our Tuesday winter training for school Years 3 to 11 carries on indoors, led by ECB-qualified coaches using drills and game-based learning. On Tuesday 10 November we are at Harris Academy Sutton, and we are back at Overton Grange School from 17 November. Block B starts with a free Open Day on Tuesday 12 January 2027. Details: https://www.cheamcricketclub.com/winter-program

Sources: Surrey County Cricket Club (Kia Oval), "Five named in England white-ball squads for Aus tour"; Sky Sports, "England to tour Australia for three one-day internationals and five T20 internationals in November and December 2026".

Cricket has been played at Peaches Close, Cheam, since 1864.