England captain Ben Stokes admitted earlier this week he was “devastated” by the allocation for the five-Test series in four years’ time, with both Headingley and Emirates Old Trafford missing out.

It means that the most northerly of the grounds will be Trent Bridge, which has not staged a men’s Ashes Test since 2015, while Edgbaston, Lord’s, the Kia Oval and the Ageas Bowl are also host venues. It has prompted two senior political figures to join the debate, with the uneven geographical split labelled “disappointing” and “remarkable” by West Yorkshire’s Tracy Brabin and Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham in an open letter to ECB chair Richard Thompson.

“We are writing to express our disappointment,” wrote the mayors. “Headingley and Old Trafford are two of England’s most iconic cricket grounds, and home to historic Ashes moments from Ian Botham’s heroics in 1981 to Ben Stokes’ own ‘Miracle of Headingley’ in 2019.

England's Mark Wood & Chris Woakes leave the field victorious after carrying their side to victory in the third test against Australia in the recent Ashes Test at Headingley (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com)

“Very few grounds attract support as passionate or indeed as diverse as Headingley and Old Trafford – as a number of England players themselves have acknowledged in recent days.”

Headingley will play host to the women’s Ashes Test in four years’ time while the Yorkshire ground and Old Trafford both return to the men’s programme for the 2031 series between the old rivals.

Yorkshire County Cricket Club, for their part, have not kicked up a fuss about the 2027 omission.

In a statement, club chief executive Stephen Vaughan said: “Naturally, we would have loved to have been involved in the next Men’s Ashes Test series in England but it’s not to be. The feedback from players and spectators from the recent Men’s Ashes Test at Headingley was incredible and they love coming to Headingley to experience the passion of the crowd up here and the pitch we prepare.

Australia & England captains' Pat Cummins & Ben Stokes after the Ashes Test at a sold-out Headingley (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)

“The addition of new Test venues and the rotation of those inevitably means Headingley has to miss out on this occasion. But rest assured, we have a feast of top-class international cricket to look forward to.

"This includes our first ever Women’s Ashes Test in 2027, and in the next seven-year cycle we’ve also secured five Men’s Tests.”

Headingley to host men's Ashes in 2027? West Yorkshire mayor thinks so but Yorkshire CCC happy with their lot