BBC Wins Ashes Highlights Rights

The BBC has won the rights to screen daily televised highlights of the Ashes series, it has been announced.

Roger Mosey, the BBC's director of sport, said: "This is further evidence that the BBC is serious about cricket. Test Match Special is a national institution on radio and our online site attracts millions of users. Now we've added the Ashes to the Cricket World Cup highlights for our television audiences - and we're delighted to be serving cricket fans."

Highlights will be shown in a late evening slot each night.

The first Ashes Test starts on 23 November in Brisbane, with the final match of five in Sydney from 2 January.

The VB Series, a triangular one-day tournament also featuring New Zealand, will run from 12 January to 13 February - highlights of those matches will also be shown on BBC.

It had already been announced that the World Cup in the Caribbean - running from 13 March to 28 April - would also have highlights on the BBC.

More precise production and scheduling details for the whole winter's cricket will be announced at a later date.

But the popular BBC cricket theme tune, Booker T and the MGs' Soul Limbo may be resurrected.

There will also be comprehensive live radio coverage of the Tests with Test Match Special on BBC Radio 4 LW and Radio Five Live Sports Xtra.

Full live radio coverage (in the UK only) as well as ball-by-ball text coverage will be available online.

The BBC last screened England matches live in 1999.

There will be no summer live cricket on terrestrial television until at least 2010 after BSkyB won exclusive rights for home internationals in a contentious four-year deal from 2006.