London, July 20 (IBNS): Ahead of the Ashes series, England will play their first ever Test match against Ireland in July 2019, officials said.
" England’s summer schedule will include a historic Specsavers Test match against Ireland at Lord’s – a four-day contest which will build on last year’s successful Royal London ODI series between the two countries and will be their first ever meeting in the game’s longest and most respected format," the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement.
Pakistan will be England’s first opponents of the home international season with their tour featuring five Royal London One-Day Internationals and a Vitality IT20 as both countries prepare for the ICC Cricket World Cup, which starts on 30 May 2019 with England taking on South Africa.
The domestic men’s game’s showpiece occasions will move to different dates to avoid clashing with the ICC Cricket World Cup and the Specsavers Ashes. Lord’s will once again host the Royal London One-Day Cup Final following this summer’s successful final, which attracted the ground’s biggest attendance for a domestic final since 2009.
Next year’s schedule will also see Vitality Blast Finals Day return to Edgbaston for the eleventh time in the domestic T20 competition’s history.
ECB CEO Tom Harrison said: “Next summer’s schedule – with an ICC Cricket World Cup and an Ashes Series at its heart – is truly a season to savour for cricket fans of all ages, nationalities and cultures.
“It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us to build an even bigger following for all formats of the game."
“There is nothing more important to England cricket fans than an Ashes Series. With the added element of being England’s first Test series in the new World Test Championship, it’s a hugely exciting prospect and we anticipate unprecedented demand for tickets."
Image: ECB Twitter page
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