Sit on the grassy Hill at the northern end of the ground on a December morning and you will understand why cricketers rank this as their favourite Test venue. The old scoreboard, its numbers still hung by hand, stands in front of a row of Moreton Bay figs, the twin spires of St Peter’s Cathedral rise behind them, and the wicket is usually a batsman’s friend with just enough in it for the bowlers. Adelaide has been hosting Test matches since 1884, and the summer of cricket Adelaide Oval serves up, from a five-day Test to a New Year’s Eve Big Bash game with fireworks, is one of the best reasons to visit the city between December and February.
This guide covers the 2026–27 summer at the Oval, from the Christmas Test against New Zealand to the Adelaide Strikers’ Big Bash home games, plus how day-night Tests and the pink ball work, how to buy tickets, where to sit to stay out of the sun, what a day at the Test is actually like, and a little of the ground’s remarkable history. Fixtures were checked in October 2026 against the South Australian Cricket Association and Adelaide Oval. Ticket prices are set by Cricket Australia and change by match and category, so check them on Ticketek before you plan your budget.
Cricket at Adelaide Oval at a glance
| What | The short answer |
|---|---|
| The Test | Australia v New Zealand, the Christmas Test, Thursday 17 to Monday 21 December 2026 |
| Adelaide’s slot | Locked in as Australia’s pre-Christmas Test until 2031 |
| Big Bash | Adelaide Strikers home games from 23 December 2026 to 16 January 2027 |
| The big night | Strikers v Melbourne Stars on New Year’s Eve, with fireworks after the match |
| Women’s cricket | The Strikers’ WBBL side plays in spring, before the men’s season |
| Tickets | Through Ticketek, Adelaide Oval’s only authorised ticket agent; SACA members have their own areas |
| Cheapest way in | General admission on the grassy Hill, where you bring a hat and sit on the grass |
| Getting there | A ten-minute walk from the city over the Riverbank footbridge |
| Weather | Hot and dry; December and January days often pass 30°C |
Why Adelaide Oval is special
Plenty of grounds are bigger, but few are as beautiful. Adelaide Oval sits in parkland on the north bank of the River Torrens, a short walk from the city centre, with North Adelaide’s church spires and trees on one side and the city skyline on the other. When it was redeveloped into a shared football and cricket stadium, ahead of the 2014 season, the builders kept the things that made it loved: the grassy northern Hill, the Moreton Bay fig trees, and the heritage scoreboard, which is still operated by hand from inside, with scorers sliding the numbers into place through the day.
The cricket suits it too. Adelaide’s pitches have a reputation for good batting conditions early in a Test and turning more as the days go on, which tends to produce results without making the first day dull. And the city around it, with its bars, restaurants and summer evenings, makes a five-day Test feel like a festival rather than an endurance event.
The 2026–27 summer
The Christmas Test: Australia v New Zealand
The headline event is the NRMA Insurance Men’s Christmas Test, Australia v New Zealand, from Thursday 17 to Monday 21 December 2026. Adelaide has become the home of the pre-Christmas Test, and the slot is now locked in until 2031. The last Test at the ground, in December 2025, was the one in which Australia wrapped up the Ashes in front of a packed house. Tickets for the New Zealand Test were on sale by mid-2026.
Check the session times when you book. Adelaide has hosted both traditional day Tests and day-night Tests with the pink ball, and the start time changes the whole shape of your day. For a day Test, play usually starts in the late morning and finishes around early evening; for a day-night Test, it starts in the afternoon and runs into the night under lights.
Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash
The Big Bash League is cricket’s three-hour, family-friendly version, with music, fireworks and plenty of sixes. The Adelaide Strikers, champions in 2017–18 and 2023–24, play their home games at Adelaide Oval. Their BBL|16 home fixtures are:
| Date | Match |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 23 December 2026 | Adelaide Strikers v Sydney Thunder |
| Thursday 31 December 2026 | Adelaide Strikers v Melbourne Stars, with fireworks after the match |
| Wednesday 6 January 2027 | Adelaide Strikers v Melbourne Renegades |
| Tuesday 12 January 2027 | Adelaide Strikers v Hobart Hurricanes |
| Saturday 16 January 2027 | Adelaide Strikers v Perth Scorchers |
The New Year’s Eve game is the one to circle. A Big Bash match followed by fireworks over the Oval is one of the best ways to see in the new year in Adelaide, especially with children, and it sells well, so book early. If the Strikers make the finals, extra home games may follow in late January.
WBBL and the rest of the season
The Strikers’ women’s team is one of the most successful in the Women’s Big Bash League, with back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. The WBBL is played in spring, in October and November, before the men’s tournament, and games in Adelaide are often played at Karen Rolton Oval in the city’s West Parklands as well as at Adelaide Oval. Tickets are cheap and the cricket is excellent.
Adelaide Oval also hosts South Australia’s state matches and, in some summers, one-day and T20 internationals. Check the SACA and Cricket Australia schedules for the full program; the international white-ball fixtures vary from year to year.
Day-night Tests and the pink ball
Adelaide Oval made history in November 2015, when Australia and New Zealand played the first day-night Test match ever staged, with a pink Kookaburra ball designed to stay visible under floodlights. Play started at 2pm, Australia won by three wickets inside three days, and the experiment was a hit with crowds, who could come after work and watch the final sessions under lights. Adelaide has hosted several more pink-ball Tests since, and it remains the format’s spiritual home.
The pink ball behaves differently, particularly at twilight, when it can swing and seam as the light changes, and that final session under lights is often the most dramatic part of the day. If your Test is a day-night one, aim to be there from the dinner break onwards at the very least. If it is a day Test, the morning session is the best time for the Hill, before the heat builds.
How to buy cricket tickets
Tickets for the Test, the Big Bash and other matches at the Oval are sold through Ticketek, Adelaide Oval’s only authorised ticketing agent, usually via links from Cricket Australia, the Adelaide Strikers and Adelaide Oval. A few things to know:
- Test tickets are sold by day. The first two days, and any weekend days, are the busiest. A Test running Thursday to Monday puts the weekend on days three and four.
- General admission on the Hill is the classic Adelaide experience and the cheapest way in, but there is no shade and no seat back. Reserved seats in the stands cost more and come with a roof over part of the bowl.
- Children’s and family tickets are available for most matches, and the Big Bash is priced for families.
- SACA members have their own reserved areas; membership is aimed at locals who go to several days a summer.
- Premium options range up to the Stadium Club, on Level 3 of the Eastern Grandstand, and hospitality packages.
- Resale: use Ticketek’s official resale marketplace rather than unofficial sellers.
Prices are published when each match goes on sale. The big days of a Test and the New Year’s Eve Big Bash are the ones that sell out; a weekday at the Test or a mid-January Big Bash game can usually be bought much closer to the date.
Where to sit, and the sun
December and January in Adelaide are hot, dry and very sunny, and a full day at the Test is a long time in the sun. A few tips:
- The Hill is glorious in the morning and punishing by mid-afternoon. Many locals spend the morning on the grass and move to shade later.
- For afternoon shade, look for seats under the stand roofs or on the side of the ground with its back to the afternoon sun; the further back and higher up you are, the more roof covers you.
- At a day-night Test or a Big Bash game, sun is less of an issue, but evenings can still be warm, and occasionally cool and breezy once the sun goes down.
Whatever you choose, bring a hat, sunscreen and water, and check the Oval’s conditions of entry for what you can bring in.
A day at the Test
If you have never been to a Test match, here is how a day runs. Play is split into three sessions of about two hours, with a lunch break and a shorter tea break in between, and a full day of 90 overs takes up most of the daylight hours. Nobody expects you to watch every ball. People wander the ground, buy a drink, find friends, lie on the Hill, listen to the radio commentary, and come back to their seats when a wicket falls or a batter nears a century.
Make time for the ground itself. Walk around to the northern end to see the scoreboard and the Moreton Bay figs up close. Find the statue of Sir Donald Bradman, captured mid-stroke outside the ground with the cathedral spires behind him. And if you want to go behind the scenes, to the dressing rooms and the Bradman Collection, book the stadium tour on a non-match day; our Adelaide Oval tours guide covers it, along with the RoofClimb over the stands.
What to watch for, session by session
- The first session: the new ball is hard and shiny, and the fast bowlers are fresh, so early wickets are common. This is when the pitch and the conditions have the most say.
- The middle session: after lunch the ball is older, the pitch is often at its best for batting, and a big partnership can turn a Test. A good time to wander, eat and come back.
- The final session: tired bowlers, a possible new ball after 80 overs, and in a day-night Test the twilight period under lights, when the pink ball can misbehave. The last hour often decides who wins the day.
Over five days, the pitch wears and spin bowling becomes more important, which is why the fourth and fifth days of an Adelaide Test can be the most dramatic, if the match gets that far.
Cricket words you will hear
- Over: six legal balls bowled by one bowler from one end.
- Wicket: confusingly, three things: the stumps, the pitch, and a batter being dismissed.
- LBW: leg before wicket, when the ball would have hit the stumps but struck the batter’s leg first.
- Century and duck: 100 runs by one batter, or getting out without scoring.
- Declaration: a captain ending their team’s innings early to give the bowlers time to win the match.
- DRS: the decision review system, when a team challenges an umpire’s call and the big screen shows the replay.
The Big Bash experience
A Big Bash game is a completely different night out. Matches take about three and a half hours, the crowd is younger and full of families, there is music between overs, and the pace is fast. It is the best introduction to cricket for children and for visitors from countries that do not play it, because something happens on almost every ball. Go for the atmosphere, cheer the Strikers’ sixes, and stay for the fireworks on New Year’s Eve.
A little history
Adelaide Oval hosted its first Test in December 1884, against England, and it has seen some of the most famous moments in the game. The most notorious came in January 1933, in the Bodyline series, when England’s tactic of bowling short at the batsman’s body caused such anger at Adelaide that the series became a diplomatic incident between the two countries. Sir Donald Bradman, the greatest batsman of all, moved to Adelaide in the mid-1930s, played for South Australia and lived in the city for the rest of his life; his statue stands outside the ground. In 2015 the Oval staged the world’s first day-night Test, and in December 2025 it was the scene of Australia’s Ashes-clinching win.
Getting there and practical tips
Walk if you can. From Adelaide Railway Station or North Terrace, the Riverbank footbridge takes you to the Oval in about ten minutes, and the free city tram runs along North Terrace and King William Street. Trains and buses bring crowds in from the suburbs, and Adelaide Metro fares are explained in our metroCARD guide. Driving and parking near the Oval on a big day is not worth the stress.
If you want to stay within walking distance, North Adelaide is ideal; see our North Adelaide accommodation guide. The Christmas Test and the New Year’s Eve Big Bash fall in the busiest weeks of the summer, so book early.
Practical bits for a day at the cricket:
- A broad-brimmed hat, sunscreen and sunglasses, even if the morning is cloudy.
- Water, and regular breaks in the shade on hot days.
- A light layer for evening sessions and Big Bash nights.
- A small radio or phone and earbuds for the commentary, which makes a Test far easier to follow.
- Check bag sizes and permitted items before you leave; large bags and eskies are restricted at most stadiums.
Going to the cricket with children
Children are welcome at every kind of match, but pick the format carefully. A Big Bash game is short, loud and colourful, which is exactly what younger children want, and the New Year’s Eve fireworks make it a family night to remember. A Test is better for older children who already like the game, or as a half-day visit: come for the morning or the last session, sit on the Hill where they can move around, and leave before anyone melts. Bring hats, sunscreen, water and snacks, and agree a meeting point in case of separation. For other family days out, see our guide to Adelaide with kids.
Making the most of a cricket trip
The Christmas Test falls in one of Adelaide’s best weeks. The city is dressed for Christmas, the evenings are long, and the beaches are warm. Spend the rest of the time at Glenelg, on a winery day trip to McLaren Vale or the Barossa, or simply on the Riverbank. If you are staying for New Year, our guide to Christmas and New Year in Adelaide has the fireworks and festive events, and our Adelaide in summer guide covers the heat and what else is on.
Is it worth going to the cricket in Adelaide?
- Cricket lovers: without question. If you have a list of grounds to see, Adelaide Oval belongs near the top, and a day on the Hill at a Test is one of the great experiences in the sport.
- Families: a Big Bash game, especially the New Year’s Eve one, is a fantastic night out, short enough for children and full of noise and colour.
- Visitors who do not know cricket: start with a Big Bash game. If you are curious about Tests, buy a ticket for one day rather than five, and come for the afternoon and evening.
What is not worth it: a full day on the Hill without a hat in January, or paying inflated resale prices for a weekday Test session you could have bought at face value.
Cricket at Adelaide Oval FAQ
When is the Adelaide Test in 2026?
The Christmas Test between Australia and New Zealand runs from Thursday 17 to Monday 21 December 2026 at Adelaide Oval.
Is the 2026 Adelaide Test a day-night Test?
Check the session times when you book. Adelaide has hosted both day and day-night Tests, including the world’s first day-night Test in 2015, and the start time depends on the fixture.
When do the Adelaide Strikers play at home?
In BBL|16, the Strikers play at Adelaide Oval on 23 December 2026, 31 December 2026, and 6, 12 and 16 January 2027, with any finals to follow.
Is there a Big Bash game on New Year’s Eve in Adelaide?
Yes. The Strikers play the Melbourne Stars on 31 December 2026, with fireworks after the match.
How do I buy cricket tickets at Adelaide Oval?
Through Ticketek, Adelaide Oval’s only authorised ticket agent, usually via the Cricket Australia, Strikers or Adelaide Oval websites.
What is the Hill at Adelaide Oval?
The grassy bank at the northern end of the ground, in front of the heritage scoreboard and fig trees, where general admission spectators sit on the grass. It has no shade.
When was the first day-night Test?
At Adelaide Oval in November 2015, between Australia and New Zealand, with a pink ball. Australia won by three wickets.
Related Adelaide Guides
- Sport in Adelaide — the city’s sporting year, venue by venue.
- Adelaide Oval Tours — the stadium tour, the Bradman Collection and the RoofClimb.
- AFL in Adelaide — the Oval in winter.
- Christmas and New Year in Adelaide — the festive season around the Test.
- Adelaide in Summer — heat, beaches and what is on.
- North Adelaide Accommodation — stay a walk from the ground.
- River Torrens — the Riverbank walk to the Oval.
- Glenelg — the beach for your rest day.
Photo Credits
The view from the Hill, 2014: “Adelaide Oval 2014 – view from the hill.jpg” by Jono52795, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Brett Lee bowling, 2008: “Ausvsnz adelaide08 leebowling p1.jpg” by Richard Woods from Adelaide, Australia., via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Inside the scoreboard, 2023: “Interior of Adelaide Oval Scoreboard 20230214 1.jpg” by DXR, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Fourth Test, 1937: “Cricket at Adelaide Oval(GN06639).jpg” by State Government Photographer, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
The Bradman statue, 2009: “Sir Donald Bradman. Adelaide Oval. SA.jpg” by Amanda Slater, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
The scoreboard and St Peter’s Cathedral, 2008 (featured image): “Ausvsnz 08 adelaide scoreboard.jpg” by Richard Woods from Adelaide, Australia, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
