Where to watch cricket in Australia

The Summer of Cricket is the term that’s used to describe what’s supposed to be a whole lot of home matches for the Australian cricket team across Tests, one-day internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 (T20) formats. But that’s only really a few months of the year. Thankfully, there’s pretty much cricket all-year round if you tune into the right service, including some of the best sports streaming platforms in Australia.

If you want to watch cricket for free, you want to sign up for a free 7plus account. Streaming cricket matches is also free, just note that cricket content is typically restricted to Tests played in Australia as part of a simulcast agreement between Channel Seven and Foxtel.

Speaking of Foxtel, you’ll find a lot more cricket on Fox Cricket (channel 501). To access Fox Cricket, you’ll need a subscription to either Kayo Sports or Foxtel Now (with the Sport add-on). Foxtel Now is pricier albeit at $54 a month, albeit that price includes all of the Kayo Sports content plus a base entertainment package, which you have to buy to add and access the Sport package.

Alternatively, if it’s just cricket and other sports you’re after, Kayo One costs $25 per month for an HD Stream and Kayo Basic is $35 for two 4K streams. Whichever way you pay, you’ll get a range of Tests, ODIs and T20s for the Australian men’s and women’s cricket teams. There are also other select cricket series on Kayo Sports and Foxtel Now that don’t involve the Australian cricket teams.

With a virtual private network (VPN) service that’s reliable for streaming typically geoblocked content, there are other ways to catch even more cricket matches throughout the year. For instance, Willow TV is a great place to catch a range of international cricket matches, with prices starting at US$9.99 a month. Alternatively, sign up for a Sling TV account to access Willow TV (from US$20 per month).

Use one of the VPNs below to sign up for and stream content from Willow TV and/or Sling TV via a US server:

• Windscribe VPN
• ExpressVPN
• NordVPN
• Atlas VPN
• Proton VPN
• VPN Unlimited

Similarly, you can sign up for ESPN+ from US$10 per month to stream select cricket matches and series from international teams with a US VPN server. The other main options require a UK VPN connection to watch cricket via Sky Sports. Try out one of these VPNs below that offer speedy streaming via their respective UK servers:

• Windscribe
• ExpressVPN
• NordVPN
• Atlas VPN
• IPVanish VPN
• PrivadoVPN
• Hola VPN
• CyberGhost VPN

Channel Seven has the exclusive broadcasting rights to the 2023 World Test Championship where Australia takes on India in England. Sign up for a 7plus account to stream all of the action, though note that live play will start at night and stretch into the wee hours of the morning in Australia.

You’ll be able to watch the 2023 Ashes on either 9Now for free or with a subscription to Kayo Sports or Foxtel Now (with the Sport channel). Either sign up for a free 9Now account or take advantage of a 10-day Foxtel Now trial if you’d rather watch for free (at least initially).

9Now is the free-to-air place to check for Cricket World Cup matches, though that's restricted to the Australian matches, semifinals and finals. Alternatively, catch all of the matches live in October and November on either Kayo Sports or with Foxtel Now’s Sport add-on.

If recent years are any indication, the BBL season will kick off towards the end of the year and smash its way into the start of the new year. Most matches will be simulcast on Fox Cricket and Channel 7 (7plus), but you’ll want Kayo Sports or Foxtel Now Sport to catch every match live, alongside on-demand replays and highlights.

If you don’t mind staying up late and watching cricket at weird hours, Fox Cricket is where you’ll find IPL matches. Sign up for either Kayo Sports or Foxtel Now with the Sport add-on for live matches, full match replays and highlights.

Interested to see how the streaming services above stack up against the competition? Take a look at the table below for a comparison of your streaming options in Australia.