The battle for the iconic urn gets underway on Thursday, as England take on holders Australia at Edgbaston in the first Test match of this summer’s Ashes cricket series.

A sporting rivalry which dates back to 1882, this year’s edition of the loosely biennial series is arguably the most eagerly awaited for a generation.

With their new, aggressive «Bazball» playing style, England look a far more formidable proposition under the stewardship of skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum from the one that slumped to a 4-0 series defeat by the Aussies back in January last year.

Hopes have been raised for the hosts following their convincing 3-0 winter victory in Pakistan, while the tourists come into this series on a high after dominating India at The Oval in the final of the World Test Championship.

Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the match live wherever you are in the world.

England vs. Australia 1st Test: When and where?

The first Test of this summer Ashes series between England and Australia takes place at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on Friday, June 16. Play is set to start at 11 a.m. BST local time in the UK (8 p.m. AEST in Australia, 6 a.m. ET or 3 a.m. PT in the US, and 3:30 p.m. IST in India).

How to watch the England vs. Australia 1st Test online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the match — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Australia, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

ExpressVPN

Best VPN for streaming

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription.

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Livestream the England vs. Australia 1st Test in the UK

Cricket fans in the UK can watch all the action live from Egbaston via Sky and its dedicated Sky Sports Cricket channel, which has the rights to show the entire Ashes series live. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the first Test via its Sky Go app, but cord-cutters will want to get set up with a Now account, and a Now Sports membership, to stream the race. 

Livestream the 1st Ashes Test in Australia for free

Aussie sports fans can enjoy the entire Ashes series broadcast on free-to-air network Channel 9.

That also means you’ll be able to live stream all the cricket action for free via the broadcaster’s 9Now streaming service.

Livestream the England vs. Australia 1st Test in the US

This first Ashes clash is streaming on dedicated cricket service Willow TV, as well as ESPN Plus, where coverage starts at 6 a.m. ET (3 a.m. PT).

Livestream the England vs. Australia 1st Test in India

Cricket fans in India can watch this first Ashes encounter by tuning into the Sony Sports Ten 5TV channel or by signing up to the Sony Liv streaming service.

Quick tips for streaming cricket using a VPN 

• With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming live cricket may vary.
• If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the «search for city or country» option.
• If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
• All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location. 
• And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.