ECB today announced next summer’s Major Match schedule, which includes the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy as well as full tours by South Africa and West Indies and a new mid-season date for the Royal London One-Day Cup final.
Ahead of June’s ICC Champions Trophy to be hosted in Cardiff, Birmingham and London, England will start their international season with five Royal London One-Day Internationals, two against Ireland and three versus South Africa, all played in May.
The focus will then shift to the Nat West International T20 series as England take on South Africa in a three-match series which concludes in Cardiff at The SSE SWALEC and also includes a first men’s international game at Taunton since a World Cup fixture against Sri Lanka in 1983.
Lord’s, Trent Bridge, The Kia Oval and Emirates Old Trafford will all stage Test Matches in a four-match Investec Test series against South Africa before West Indies arrive for a three-match Test series, five match Royal London ODI series and a NatWest International T20.
Edgbaston will once again host NatWest T20 Blast Finals day while the Royal London One-Day Cup Final has been brought forward from its traditional mid-September date to a new mid-summer slot in early July.
ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison said: “With three different international teams coming here next summer and this country playing host to two major ICC global events – the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Women’s World Cup - there will be a feast of international cricket to excite us in England and Wales.
“Both the international and the domestic schedule will have a different shape to previous years. And the early season block for the Royal London One-Day Cup – with a new mid-season date for its Lord’s final – will support both England’s ICC Champions Trophy preparations and our longer term planning for the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019. It will also allow players to focus skills on the white ball game and help more people to understand the structure of the season.
“It promises to be a memorable summer of cricket for all our international grounds and a particularly special one for Somerset CCC which will host its first England men’s fixture for more than thirty years; a great opportunity for the county to further capitalise on its strong support for England women’s cricket in recent years.”
2017 Major Match Schedule in full:
England v Ireland
Fri 5 May 1st Royal London ODI Bristol
Sun 7 May 2nd Royal London ODI Lord’s
England v South Africa
Wed 24 May 1st Royal London ODI (D/N) Headingley
Sat 27 May 2nd Royal London ODI Ageas Bowl
Mon 29 May 3rd Royal London ODI Lord’s
1-18 June ICC Champions Trophy Cardiff, Birmingham, London
Wed 21 June 1st NatWest IT20 (f) Ageas Bowl
Fri 23 June 2nd NatWest IT20 The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton
Sun 25 June 3rd NatWest IT20 The SSE SWALEC, Cardiff
Thu 6-Mon 10 July 1st Investec Test Lord’s
Fri 14-Tue 18 July 2nd Investec Test Trent Bridge
Thu 27-Mon 31 July 3rd Investec Test Kia Oval
Fri 4-Tue 8 Aug 4th Investec Test Emirates Old Trafford
England v West Indies
Thu 17-Mon 21 Aug 1st Investec Test Edgbaston
Fri 25-Tue 29 Aug 2nd Investec Test Headingley
Thu 7-Mon 11 Sept 3rd Investec Test Lord’s
Sat 16 Sept NatWest IT20 (f) Emirates Riverside
Tue 19 Sept 1st Royal London ODI (D/N) Emirates Old Trafford
Thu 21 Sept 2nd Royal London ODI (D/N) Trent Bridge
Sun 24 Sept 3rd Royal London ODI Bristol
Wed 27 Sept 4th Royal London ODI (D/N) Kia Oval
Fri 29 Sept 5th Royal London ODI (D/N) Ageas Bowl
Domestic Finals
Sat 1 July Royal London One-Day Cup Final Lord’s
Sat 2 Sept NatWest T20 Blast Finals’ Day Edgbaston
(Both domestic finals have one reserve day allocated)
ICC Champions Trophy: (1 June – 18 June)
The Cardiff Wales Stadium, The Oval and Edgbaston will be the venues for the ICC Champions Trophy which returns to this country for the third time, and was last won by India in 2013 – beating England in the final at Edgbaston. The 18-day tournament will see the world’s top eight ranked ODI sides compete in two groups of four before semi-finals and a final. The two groups are: Group A - Australia, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh. Group B - India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Pakistan