An independent review panel has recommended that Ashes cricket should be restored to the list of 'crown jewel' sporting events, which are protected for free-to-air television broadcasters.

According to the David Davies-led panel, events possessing a "special national resonance" should be available to the widest possible audience, although the need for a second list for protected highlights coverage is no longer necessary due to the rise of the internet as a viewing platform. Home Ashes cricket - the four-yearly Test match series between Australia and England - is now earmarked for a return to the list in 2016 for the first time since home Test match cricket was removed in a 1998 review.

Events currently protected as part of the Broadcasting Act 1996 include the FA Cup Final, the Olympic Games, the Grand National and the Wimbledon Tennis Finals. The panel's recommendations have also called for football World Cup and European Championships qualification matches to be protected. Under the new proposals announced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Derby and the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final will not feature on the revised Group A list.

Davies said: "The panel's task was to look beyond the interests of any one sport, and assess the events that really matter to society in the modern age. I believe our report is challenging for the sports governing bodies, the broadcasters and the government. But unashamedly it puts the viewing public first." Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw added: "We intend to publish shortly a formal Government consultation on the report's recommendations. Following the conclusion of the statutory 12 week consultation period, the government will bring forward its final decisions."

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has welcomed the news that the recommendations will be put to consultation before being implemented. In a statement, an ECB spokesperson said: "In the coming weeks, we will set out to the DCMS the hugely detrimental impact the panel's recommendations would have on our successful community projects.

"We also call for the secretary of state to pay careful attention to the evidence put forward by the BBC that it does not think the Ashes should be listed due to the impact it could have on the sport's finance." The Rugby Football League (RFL) has also expressed disappointment at the decision to de-list the Challenge Cup final.

RFL chief executive Nigel Wood said: "When we presented our case earlier this year, only three out of the eight panel members were actually present and we were not given any indication that such a major decision was being considered."