England start 2020 season with Windies Test at The Oval
Last updated on: 21 August,2019 11:11 pm
After the Oval, England will face the West Indies in Tests at Edgbaston and Lord's.
LEEDS (AFP) - England will make a break from tradition by staging the opening Test of their 2020 home season at the Oval.
The England and Wales Cricket Board released the international fixtures for next season on Wednesday, with a packed programme featuring visits by the West Indies, Australia, Pakistan and Ireland.
The Oval, the south London headquarters of Surrey, usually hosts the last Test of an English season but in 2020 it will launch the programme instead.
With the first Test starting on June 4, it should mean England s leading players are available to take part in the bulk of next year s Indian Premier League Twenty20 franchise competition.
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.
Both the West Indies and Pakistan series will count towards the World Test Championship table.
In one-day cricket World Cup-winners England will face Australia and Ireland in three-match series, with the last game against the latter ending the England calendar at the Oval on September 15.
Meanwhile England s preparations for next year s Twenty20 World Cup will continue with six home short-form matches split between Australia and Pakistan.
ECB chief executive Tom Harrison, announcing the schedule, 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.
"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."
England Men s International Schedule 2020
v West Indies
Test series
04-08 Jun: 1st Test, England v West Indies, The Oval (1000 GMT start)
12-16 Jun: 2nd Test, England v West Indies, Edgbaston (1000 GMT start)
25-29 Jun: 3rd Test, England v West Indies, Lord s (1000 GMT start)
v Australia
IT20 series
Jul 03: 1st IT20, England v Australia, Riverside (1730 GMT start, floodlit)
Jul 05: 2nd IT20, England v Australia, Old Trafford (1600 GMT start, floodlit)
Jul 07: 3rd IT20, England v Australia, Headingley (1730 GMT start, floodlit)
One-Day International Series
Jul 11: 1st ODI, England v Australia, Lord s (1200 GMT start, day/night)
Jul 14: 2nd ODI, England v Australia, Southampton (1200 GMT start day/night)
Jul 16: 3rd ODI, England v Australia, Bristol (1200 GMT start day/night)
v Pakistan
Jul 30-Aug 03: 1st Test, England v Pakistan, Lord s (1000 GMT start)
Aug 07-11: 2nd Test, England v Pakistan, Old Trafford (1000 GMT start)
Aug 20-24: 3rd Test, England v Pakistan, Trent Bridge (1000 GMT start)
IT20 Series
Aug 29: 1st IT20, England v Pakistan, Headingley (1600 GMT start floodlit)
Aug 31: 2nd IT20, England v Pakistan, Cardiff (1330 GMT start)
Sep 02: 3rd IT20, England v Pakistan, Southampton (1730 GMT start, floodlit)
v Ireland
Sep 10: 1st ODI, England v Ireland, Trent Bridge (1130 GMT start, day/night)
Sep 12: 2nd ODI, England v Ireland, Edgbaston (1130 GMT start day/night)
Sep 15: 3rd ODI, England v Ireland, The Oval (1130 GMT start day/night)