The England and Wales Cricket Board on Wednesday (August 21) released their international fixtures for next home season, with a jam-packed schedule with West Indies, Australia, Pakistan and Ireland scheduled to visit England in 2020.
England will break their tradition by playing the opening Test of 2020 home season against West Indies at The Oval, the South London headquarters of Surrey, usually hosts the last Test of an English season.
After the Oval, England will face the West Indies in Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s. England will also play three Tests against Pakistan, at Lord’s, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge with both Pakistan and West Indies series getting counted in World Test Championship.
While announcing England’s schedule, ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said, “The ICC World Test Championship will add significance and context to the Test series against West Indies and Pakistan. England’s ODI contests against Australia, and Ireland will see the world champions return to home soil with big crowds expected at all venues.”
The ODI World Cup winners will start the preparations for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup with six short-form matches split between Australia and Pakistan.
“With further interest in IT20 cricket, the six-matches against Australia and the world number one side Pakistan will offer a fascinating guide to form ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia during the autumn of 2020,” Harrison said.
England Men’s International Schedule 2020:
v West Indies
Test series:
04-08 Jun: 1st Test, England v West Indies, The Oval
12-16 Jun: 2nd Test, England v West Indies, Edgbaston
25-29 Jun: 3rd Test, England v West Indies, Lord’s
v Australia
IT20 series:
Jul 03: 1st IT20, England v Australia, Riverside
Jul 05: 2nd IT20, England v Australia, Old Trafford
Jul 07: 3rd IT20, England v Australia, Headingley
ODI Series:
Jul 11: 1st ODI, England v Australia, Lord’s
Jul 14: 2nd ODI, England v Australia, Southampton
Jul 16: 3rd ODI, England v Australia, Bristol
v Pakistan
Jul 30-Aug 03: 1st Test, England v Pakistan, Lord’s
Aug 07-11: 2nd Test, England v Pakistan, Old Trafford
Aug 20-24: 3rd Test, England v Pakistan, Trent Bridge
IT20 Series:
Aug 29: 1st IT20, England v Pakistan, Headingley
Aug 31: 2nd IT20, England v Pakistan, Cardiff
Sep 02: 3rd IT20, England v Pakistan, Southampton
v Ireland
Sep 10: 1st ODI, England v Ireland, Trent Bridge
Sep 12: 2nd ODI, England v Ireland, Edgbaston
Sep 15: 3rd ODI, England v Ireland, The Oval
(With AFP inputs)