Ashes venues to offer public ticket ballot as England face Australia, Ireland and Pakistan in 2019.

ECB today announced its Men’s Major Match schedule for 2019 which will 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 30^th 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.

ECB Chief Executive Officer 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. “

Notes to editors:

1. Fans can pre-register for each of the public ballots now. Tickets will be available for the Pakistan Vitality IT20 and Royal London ODIs from Wednesday 10^th October. 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.

1. We Are England Cricket Supporters are able to get priority access to tickets for next year’s men’s internationals. Join now at www.ecb.co.uk/sign-up.

ECB’s Men’s Major Match Schedule Summer 2019

Sun 5 May England v Pakistan Vitality IT20 5pm Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Wed 8 May England v Pakistan 1^st Royal London ODI D/N 1pm Kia Oval

Sat 11 May England v Pakistan 2^nd Royal London ODI 11am Ageas Bowl

Tue 14 May England v Pakistan 3^rd Royal London ODI D/N 1pm Brightside Ground, Bristol

Fri 17 May England v Pakistan 4^th Royal London ODI D/N 1pm Trent Bridge

Sun 19 May England v Pakistan 5^th Royal London ODI 11am Emerald Headingley

Sat 25 May Royal London One-Day Cup Final 11am Lord’s

Wed 24-Sat 27 July England v Ireland 4-day Specsavers Test Lord’s

Thu 1-Mon 5 Aug England v Australia 1^st Specsavers Test Edgbaston

Wed 14-Sun 18 Aug England v Australia 2^nd Specsavers Test Lord’s

Thu 22-Mon 26 Aug England v Australia 3^rd Specsavers Test Emerald Headingley

Wed 4-Sun 8 Sept England v Australia 4^th Specsavers Test Emirates Old Trafford

Thu 12-Mon 16 Sept England v Australia 5^th Specsavers Test Kia Oval

Ireland and Ashes Tests all 11am start

Sat 21 Sept Vitality Blast Finals Day 11am Edgbaston

The ICC Cricket World Cup – Key Dates:

• The Oval will host the tournament opener between England and South Africa on 30th May.
• World Cup holders Australia begin their title defence against Afghanistan at Bristol in a d/n match on June 1^st.
• Old Trafford and Edgbaston will stage the two semi-finals on July 9th and 11^th respectively with Lord’s hosting the final on 14^th July.

England Women – Key Dates:

Next summer England women are scheduled to host West Indies as part of the ICC Women’s Championship and Australia for the multi-format Women’s Ashes. Further details of dates and venues will be announced in due course.

ends