ECB today announced its Men’s Major Match schedule for 2019, with the first match of the home international calendar to be played at Sophia Gardens between England and Pakistan in a Vitality IT20 on Sunday, 5th May.
The schedule will also include a public ballot for all Specsavers Ashes Test Matches for the first time.
Each host Ashes venue will release tickets via their own public ballot to meet the anticipated high demand for tickets to watch England’s bid to regain the Ashes.
Key highlights include:
• England vs Ireland Test Match: England’s summer schedule will include an 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.
• Season starts vs Pakistan: 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 May 30th 2019 with England taking on South Africa.
• Royal London and Vitality Blast Finals: The domestic men’s game’s showpiece occasions will move to different dates to avoid clashing with the ICC Cricket World Cup and the 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.
Chief Executive, Hugh Morris, said: “It’s fantastic to see Sophia Gardens open the 2019 England summer international calendar after a sell out international programme in 2018.
“Both the Australia ODI and India IT20 were huge successes and showed a real thirst for international cricket in Wales, which we hope will continue into next year."
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. We would love to see fans from all over the world getting to experience the unique atmosphere of an Ashes Test Match after the ICC Cricket World Cup.
“We fully supported the ICC’s decision to award Full Membership to Cricket Ireland and we expect next summer’s inaugural Test Match at Lord’s against our neighbours to be an historic celebration for all Irish cricket fans.
“It will also provide excellent Ashes preparation for England against an Irish team whose impressive performance against Pakistan earlier this year showed they can compete strongly in this form of the game."
Tickets will be available for the Pakistan Vitality IT20 and Royal London ODIs from Wednesday 10th October.
Supporters can pre-register for each public ballot for all Specsavers Ashes Test Matches now. Tickets for England’s Specsavers Test match against Ireland will also be available via ballot. Go to www.ecb.co.uk/tickets for more on ballots and ticket sales for 2019 Men’s Major Matches.