Report calls for Ashes on free-to-air TV

England's home Ashes cricket matches against Australia should return to free-to-air television, a report for the government said on Friday.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport published the recommendations of an independent inquiry which said the matches should be considered part of the country's protected sporting "crown jewels" which should be broadcast free-to-air to reach the widest possible audience.

The inquiry was headed by David Davies, the former executive director of the Football Association.

Ashes matches in this year's series, won 2-1 by England, were only shown on pay-per-view broadcaster Sky, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.

Supporters of changes to the current system argue that England's home win in the 2005 Ashes, shown on free-to-air Channel Four, was watched by millions more viewers than this year's series.

However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which has a 300-million-pound deal with Sky, would be likely to protest that the financial impact would be devastating for the sport.

Sky have a deal to show the 2013 series in England, so it is possible the 2016 series will herald the return to free-to-air broadcasts.

London's Evening Standard newspaper claimed on Thursday that Prime Minister Gordon Brown was prepared to accept the recommendations to strip Sky of its exclusive television rights in revenge for his treatment at the hands of the Murdoch-owned tabloid newspaper The Sun.

Brown phoned Murdoch to complain about The Sun's personal criticism of his handling of the war in Afghanistan.

The prime minister's Downing Street office said the pair spoke on Tuesday at the height of a row over Brown's apparent misspelling of a dead soldier's name in a hand-written letter of condolence to the victim's grieving mother.

Also recommended for a return to the list are all of England's home and away qualification matches for the football World Cup and European Championships.

Also on the new 'A' list of events are The Open golf championship, the entire Wimbledon tennis tournament and the rugby union World Cup.

Three events have been offered up for delisting, with the Epsom Derby horse race, the rugby league Challenge Cup final and the Winter Olympics those now vulnerable.