I realise that the pandemic situation may be responsible for it but how often have Tests at the Gabba, which I've somehow always associated with November, been played circa mid-January?

The chutzpah shown by the ACB to let in crowds for the Boxing Day Test is admirable, given how the world, Oz included, has reacted to COVID-19 over the past seven months.
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On 27/10/2020 03:53, Ramapriya D wrote:

I realise that the pandemic situation may be responsible for it but how often have Tests at the Gabba, which I've somehow always associated with November, been played circa mid-January?

The chutzpah shown by the ACB to let in crowds for the Boxing Day Test is admirable, given how the world, Oz included, has reacted to COVID-19 over the past seven months.

This may be the third.

19 Jan 1968 v India
24 Jan 2019 Sri Lanka

Also February:

10 Feb 1933 v England

I think 41 started in November & 18 in December.


<https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/team/match_results.html?class=1;id=209;type=ground>
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
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On Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 12:38:15 PM UTC+4, Brian Lawrence wrote:

10 Feb 1933 v England

Thanks a lot, Brian. I can't recall if an Ashes in Oz has ever extended into February in my lifetime. Any idea what may have caused that in '33, and that too at the Gabba?
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
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On 28/10/2020 06:39, Ramapriya D wrote:

On Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 12:38:15 PM UTC+4, Brian Lawrence wrote:

10 Feb 1933 v England

Thanks a lot, Brian. I can't recall if an Ashes in Oz has ever extended into February in my lifetime.
Any idea what may have caused that in '33, and that too at the Gabba?

Before the tour was planned Vic Richardson had proposed that the first
Test should be played at Adelaide, with T1 in future being cycled among
the States so that no State would always get a Test when the series had already been decided. That suggestion appears to have not been agreed.

After the schedule was proposed the MCC asked that it be revised to
allow them to go on to a brief tour of New Zealand. Australia refused
that request. There was some talk that MCC were not happy playing in
Queensland in January because of the tropical heat. Not sure that Feb 10
was any better.

OK, did some digging, the Perth Daily News, 5 Jan 1932 said, "On the
occasion of the last visit by the Englishmen, the first Test was played
at Brisbane, and, owing to wet weather, was a fiasco. Australia was
badly beaten.

The Board of Control is taking no risks this time by playing a Test
match at Brisbane early in the wet season. The visitors will not
reach Queensland until January 1933."

The Test was at that time scheduled to start on Jan 20.

From trove.nla.gov,au



The last Ashes Test to start in March began on 08 March 1929. The 1977 Centenary Test began 12 March, but the Ashes were not at stake.

Aus v Eng Tests in March:

MCG (8) 1877 (2), 1882, 1885, 1895, 1904, 1929, 1977
SCG (2) 1882, 1885
Adelaide 1892

The 1932/33 Ashes Tests were:

Sydney 02 Dec
Melbourne 30 Dec
Adelaide 13 Jan
Brisbane 10 Feb
Sydney 23 Feb

The tour began on 21 Oct, with 6 f/c matches before T1,
2 more between T1 & T2, none between T2 & T3, 2 between
T3 & T4, and none T4/T5. Two f/c after T5 before the MCC
team left for NZ. They fitted a NZ tour in somehow.
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In message <c525ace5-d560-47bc-b78b-507ce0482fb7n@googlegroups.com>,
Ramapriya D <rama@samura.ai> writes

On Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 12:38:15 PM UTC+4, Brian Lawrence wrote:

10 Feb 1933 v England

Thanks a lot, Brian. I can't recall if an Ashes in Oz has ever extended
into February in my lifetime. Any idea what may have caused that in
'33, and that too at the Gabba?

The schedule was even odder in 1928-9. The 4th Test was at Adelaide
right at the start of February, and then the 5th Test at Melbourne
wasn't till the 8th to the16th of March. That Brisbane Test in 1932-3
was the 4th of the series and the 5th match was at Sydney at the end of February. Because the matches before WW2 were "timeless", they would
have had to schedule them further apart, especially allowing for
scheduling games against the states as well, so I imagine that the
series would have had to extend over a much longer period.

From a very quick check, the last Ashes series that extended into
February may have been that of 1978-9, so well within my lifetime but
perhaps not in yours.
--
John Hall

You can divide people into two categories:
those who divide people into two categories and those who don't --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 2:41:51 PM UTC+4, John Hall wrote:

From a very quick check, the last Ashes series that extended into
February may have been that of 1978-9, so well within my lifetime but perhaps not in yours.

I'm no spring chicken, sadly, and if that was the series in which Gower in one of his innings scratched around for his first 30 runs and then suddenly hit sublime form, especially against Dymock, to score a 90+, it was the first one I followed via ABC's ball-by-ball commentary.
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

In message <8a6350ed-d5bb-47af-939c-93c105fe87d4n@googlegroups.com>,
Ramapriya D <rama@samura.ai> writes

On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 2:41:51 PM UTC+4, John Hall wrote:

From a very quick check, the last Ashes series that extended into
February may have been that of 1978-9, so well within my lifetime but
perhaps not in yours.

I'm no spring chicken, sadly, and if that was the series in which Gower
in one of his innings scratched around for his first 30 runs and then >suddenly hit sublime form, especially against Dymock, to score a 90+,
it was the first one I followed via ABC's ball-by-ball commentary.

He scored 102 in the 2nd Test, but he didn't have any scores in the 90s.
There were six Tests in that series, and they played the ODIs halfway
through it, so it's not surprising it extended into February.
--
John Hall

You can divide people into two categories:
those who divide people into two categories and those who don't --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

On 28/10/2020 10:39, John Hall wrote:

In message <c525ace5-d560-47bc-b78b-507ce0482fb7n@googlegroups.com>, Ramapriya D <rama@samura.ai> writes

On Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 12:38:15 PM UTC+4, Brian Lawrence wrote:

10 Feb 1933 v England

Thanks a lot, Brian. I can't recall if an Ashes in Oz has ever
extended into February in my lifetime. Any idea what may have caused
that in '33, and that too at the Gabba?

The schedule was even odder in 1928-9. The 4th Test was at Adelaide
right at the start of February, and then the 5th Test at Melbourne
wasn't till the 8th to the16th of March. That Brisbane Test in 1932-3
was the 4th of the series and the 5th match was at Sydney at the end of February. Because the matches before WW2 were "timeless", they would
have had to schedule them further apart, especially allowing for
scheduling games against the states as well, so I imagine that the
series would have had to extend over a much longer period.

From a very quick check, the last Ashes series that extended into
February may have been that of 1978-9, so well within my lifetime but perhaps not in yours.

1974-75 08 Feb Melbourne
1978-79 10 Feb Sydney
1979-80 01 Feb Melbourne
1990-91 01 Feb Perth
1994-95 03 Feb Perth
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 3:01:52 PM UTC+4, John Hall wrote:

He scored 102 in the 2nd Test, but he didn't have any scores in the 90s. There were six Tests in that series, and they played the ODIs halfway through it, so it's not surprising it extended into February.

Yep, that's the one. I remember that Boycott was his partner during that innings and I subsequently recall reading Boycott rating highly that latter half of Gower's innings.
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

In message <hvt36aFcnj7U1@mid.individual.net>, Brian Lawrence <Brian_W_Lawrence@msn.com> writes

On 28/10/2020 10:39, John Hall wrote:

In message <c525ace5-d560-47bc-b78b-507ce0482fb7n@googlegroups.com>, >>Ramapriya D <rama@samura.ai> writes

On Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 12:38:15 PM UTC+4, Brian Lawrence wrote: >>>>

10 Feb 1933 v England

Thanks a lot, Brian. I can't recall if an Ashes in Oz has ever
extended into February in my lifetime. Any idea what may have caused >>>that in '33, and that too at the Gabba?

The schedule was even odder in 1928-9. The 4th Test was at Adelaide
right at the start of February, and then the 5th Test at Melbourne
wasn't till the 8th to the16th of March. That Brisbane Test in 1932-3
was the 4th of the series and the 5th match was at Sydney at the end
of February. Because the matches before WW2 were "timeless", they
would have had to schedule them further apart, especially allowing
for scheduling games against the states as well, so I imagine that the >>series would have had to extend over a much longer period.
From a very quick check, the last Ashes series that extended into >>February may have been that of 1978-9, so well within my lifetime but >>perhaps not in yours.

1974-75 08 Feb Melbourne
1978-79 10 Feb Sydney
1979-80 01 Feb Melbourne
1990-91 01 Feb Perth
1994-95 03 Feb Perth

Thanks, Brian
--
John Hall

You can divide people into two categories:
those who divide people into two categories and those who don't --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)