England oppose six-Test Ashes

Australia want more matches to cash in on interest in the Ashes

Australia's plan to have six Tests in their next home Ashes series looks like being scuppered by England's reluctance to agree to such a schedule.

The Aussies want an extra match in Hobart, along with Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne.

But England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive David Collier said: "We're not in favour of that.

"Unless the Future Tours Programme is reduced, we don't see a possibility of extending to six Test matches."

The FTP is the framework provided by the International Cricket Council which creates a loose schedule for Test nations to organise tours against each other.

The biennial Ashes contest has featured five Test matches since 1997, when there were six, and there will still be five when England next host in 2009.

England coach Duncan Fletcher is also against lengthening the series because of the risks of player burnout.

"Somewhere along the line, we've got to have a break. To introduce more cricket is just going to complicate the issue as far as England are concerned," he said.

"We play these long Test series - five against the Aussies, four against West Indies, four or five against South Africa - when most sides are playing against each other for three Tests.

"They can have those breaks while we struggle to get them."