The countdown to the ICC Cricket World Cup returning to Cardiff for the first time in 20 years has begun and tournament organisers have today announced the ticket timeline for the year ahead.
Next year’s tournament, which will feature 10 teams across 48 matches between 30 May and 14 July, will be the fourth time England & Wales have hosted the global event.
To reward the hard work that goes into running the game across England & Wales, anyone in the cricket family will get priority access to the ticket ballot on 1 May. There will then be a public ballot in July. Ticket prices and the full match schedule will be announced at the end of March.
Whether its players, coaches, umpires or fans, this will be their chance to beat the rush and book their seats early. The full match schedule and ticket prices will be announced at the end of March.
Register now at cricketworldcup.com to make sure you get the latest ticket news delivered direct to your inbox.
To mark the 500 days to go milestone, we look back at the last time Cardiff hosted World Cup cricket.
The first three Cricket World Cups were held in England & Wales, before it returned in 1999 for the 7th edition, which Australia won by defeating Pakistan in the final at Lord's.
On the pitch in 1999, Australia were just starting to assert their dominance on the one-day international game, claiming the first of their hat-trick of World Cup successes, but it wasn't without drama, namely that Semi-Final against South Africa.
Cardiff hosted one fixture at the World Cup in 1999, so we decided to roll the clocks back 19 years to that summer and re-live the game that took place in the Welsh capital...
Australia v New Zealand (20 May 1999)
New Zealand won by 5 wickets
Cardiff’s only fixture at the Cricket World Cup in 1999 saw old rivals Australia and New Zealand meet in a group game.
It was the Kiwis who took the bragging rights, claiming a five-wicket win to make it two victories from two games at the tournament.
Early wickets of Mark Waugh and Adam Gilchrist left Australia 32/2 before Ricky Ponting (47) and Darren Lehmann (76) put on 94 for the third wicket. Geoff Allott was the pick of the bowlers for the Black Caps, claiming 4 for 37 as New Zealand restricted Australia to just 213/8 from their 50 overs.
It was far from an ideal start to the chase for the Kiwis, as they lost their first four wickets for just 49 runs. But, a magnificent stand of 148 between Roger Twose (80*) and Chris Cairns (60) helped New Zealand claim a win against the pre-tournament favourites.
Be amongst the first to get your hands on ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 tickets
How well do you remember the World Cup in 1999?
Test your knowledge in the 500 days to go competition and be in with a chance of winning one of eleven pairs of tickets to ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 matches.
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