What an opening day of The Ashes it was! Mitchell Starc took seven wickets as Australia bowled out England for 172. But led by Ben Stokes’ five-for, England came roaring back to leave Australia 123/9 at the close.
But what if you didn’t take a whole night to watch the game, or you were at work and couldn’t catch the action? Fear not, BBC iPlayer will have free, in-depth highlights from today’s games for UK residents to watch.
For those traveling in the US or Canada, or who even spent the day at the Test match in Australia, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. How to watch Ashes 2025-2026 highlights for free, wherever you are in the world…
How to watch The Ashes 2025-26 highlights for free on BBC iPlayer
The BBC’s online streaming site, BBC iPlayer, is streaming in-depth highlights from The Ashes with the Test Match Special team leading the coverage.
How to watch The Ashes highlights on BBC iPlayer anywhere
BBC iPlayer only shows highlights from The Ashes for UK residents.
Those traveling or working outside the UK will need a VPN to access BBC iPlayer.
There are plenty of VPNs, but NordVPN is the one you can trust to unblock BBC iPlayer and watch from anywhere in the world.
Using a VPN to watch The Ashes on BBC iPlayer is super easy.
1. Install VPN of your choice. As we have said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Select the location you want to connect to in the VPN app. For example, if you’re visiting the US and want to watch your free BBC iPlayer stream, select ‘UK’.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Go to BBC iPlayer, log in and watch The Ashes highlights for free.
What devices is BBC iPlayer available on?
You can use BBC iPlayer on all the following devices and platforms:
Amazon Fire (Tablets, Cube, Stick, TVs)
Android TV (please note: some models are not supported)
Android (Mobile and tablet) – Android 7.0 and higher
Apple TV (tvOS 14 or later)
Google TV
Free
Freesat (please note: some models are not supported)
Freeview games (TV and set-top boxes)
iOS (iPhone and iPad) – iOS 14 and later
LG Smart TV (2016-2024)
NOW Smart Sticks and Boxes (minimum firmware v11.5.0)
PlayStation (PS4 and PS5)
Roku (Stick & Roku-OS powered TVs, minimum firmware v11.5.0)
Samsung Smart TV (2017 and up – 2016 models only offer On Demand TV)
Sky Q, Sky Glass and Sky Stream
Virgin Media (360, Stream, TiVo)
YouView (BT, Humax, Sony, TalkTalk)
Xbox (One, Series X, Series S)
The best TVs for all budgets
We test and review VPN services for legitimate recreational use. For example: 1. Accessing a Service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that Service). 2. Protecting your online security and enhancing your online privacy when you are abroad. We do not support or condone illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consumption of paid-for pirated content is neither endorsed nor endorsed by Future Publishing.
