​Stuart Broad & Joe Root set for Championship opening blockbuster

England management have announced the player availability schedule for the opening month of the domestic cricket season.

Stuart Broad is set to face England captain Joe Root in the first match of the Specsavers County Championship Division One, when Nottinghamshire host Yorkshire at Trent Bridge on April 5.

Broad, who has been granted a Testimonial by Nottinghamshire in 2019, will also be available the following week, starting April 11, when Somerset are the visitors to Trent Bridge in the second round of Championship matches. Root will play for Yorkshire in their Division One fixture at the Ageas Bowl against Hampshire.

Root’s availability for the Royal London One-Day Cup, between April 17-26, will be discussed nearer the time and will be subject to his workload heading into a busy international summer.

Yorkshire spinner Adil Rashid will miss the White Rose county’s first two Championship matches with a shoulder injury, but is expected to be fit to play in four Royal London One-Day Cup matches for his home county between April 17 and 26.

Somerset spinner Jack Leach is due to start his Championship campaign with a match against newly-promoted Kent at The Cooper Associates County Ground on April 5.

Middlesex duo Eoin Morgan and Dawid Malan will be available from their opening match of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two when they travel to Northamptonshire starting on April 5.

Durham quick Mark Wood will start his summer with an away match at The Pattonair County Ground against Derbyshire on April 5. The England management, in consultation with Durham, will monitor Wood’s fitness before making a decision on his availability for the Sussex match at Emirates Riverside starting on April 11. The right-arm seamer will also be available for two Royal London One-Day Cup matches on April 17 against Northamptonshire and a week later against Worcestershire at Blackfinch New Road on April 24.

Chris Jordan will be a welcome boost for Jason Gillespie’s Sussex side and will be available for all cricket from their match at Hove against Leicestershire starting on April 5.

James Anderson will return to action for Lancashire in their opening Championship match of the season against Middlesex at Lord’s on April 11. Opening batsman Keaton Jennings is available for all cricket for Lancashire from the start of the season.

County Champions Surrey start their campaign against 2017 Champions Essex at the Kia Oval on April 11. The Brown Caps England contingent of Rory Burns, Tom Curran and Ben Foakes will come into contention for selection. The England trio will also be available for selection in the traditional season curtain-raiser when an MCC XI take on the Champions in a four-day match at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai starting on March 24.

Liam Plunkett (foot) and Jason Roy (hamstring) will both be available for selection once they are fit to resume playing. Plunkett, who joined Surrey this season from Yorkshire, will miss the Champion County match in Dubai, but it is hoped that he will play against Durham MCCU at the Kia Oval on April 4.

Roy, the aggressive right-hander, will be available for all cricket for Surrey up until April 25 once he has overcome his left hamstring injury.

Warwickshire, who start their return to Division One following a Championship winning campaign in 2018, will be hoping that Chris Woakes (right knee) and Olly Stone (lower back) will be fit to play in their opener against Kent at Edgbaston April 11.

Nottinghamshire’s Alex Hales, in line with his white ball only contract, will be available for four Royal London One-Day Cup matches up to and including the game against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge on April 26.

Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Ben Stokes (Durham) and David Willey (Yorkshire) are all unavailable for the start of the season having signed to play in the Indian Premier League. Players selected for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the Ireland and Pakistan ODIs, have been told by the ECB that they are expected to return to the UK by April 25.

Full England player availability for the early stages of the Specsavers County Championship and Royal London One-Day Cup:

DURHAM

Mark Wood

Specsavers County Championship Division Two

Derbyshire v Durham (5-8 April)

Durham v Sussex (11-14 April) – subject to fitness

Royal London One-Day Cup

Durham v Northamptonshire (17 April)

Worcestershire v Durham (24 April)

LANCASHIRE

James Anderson

Specsavers County Championship Division One

Middlesex v Lancashire (11-14 April)

Keaton Jennings

Specsavers County Championship Division One

Middlesex v Lancashire (11-14 April)

Royal London One-Day Cup

Lancashire v Worcestershire (17 April)

Nottinghamshire v Lancashire (19 April)

Yorkshire v Lancashire (21 April)

Lancashire v Northamptonshire (24 April)

Lancashire v Leicestershire (28 April)

Durham v Lancashire (30 April)

MIDDLESEX

Dawid Malan & Eoin Morgan

Specsavers County Championship Division Two

Northamptonshire v Middlesex (5-8 April)

Middlesex v Lancashire (11-14 April)

Royal London One-Day Cup

Essex v Middlesex (19 April)

Middlesex v Gloucestershire (21 April)

Hampshire v Middlesex (23 April)

Surrey v Middlesex (25 April)

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

Stuart Broad

Specsavers County Championship Division One

Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire (5-8 April)

Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire (11-14 April)

Alex Hales

Royal London One-Day Cup

Nottinghamshire v Lancashire (19 April)

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire (21 April)

Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire (23 April)

Nottinghamshire v Leicestershire (26 April)

SOMERSET

Jack Leach

Specsavers County Championship Division One

Somerset v Kent (5-8 April)

Nottinghamshire v Somerset (11-14 April)

Royal London One-Day Cup

Somerset v Kent (19 April)

Glamorgan v Somerset (21 April)

Sussex v Somerset (24 April)

Somerset v Essex (26 April)

Gloucestershire v Somerset (28 April)

SURREY

Rory Burns, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes

Champion County Match

MCC XI v Surrey (24-27 March)

English MCC University Match

Surrey v Durham MCCU (4-6 April)

Specsavers County Championship Division One

Surrey v Essex (11-14 April)

Royal London One-Day Cup

Gloucestershire v Surrey (17 April)

Sussex v Surrey (19 April)

Surrey v Essex (23 April)

Surrey v Middlesex (25 April)

Liam Plunkett, Jason Roy (subject to fitness)

English MCC University Match

Surrey v Durham MCCU (4-6 April)

Specsavers County Championship Division One

Surrey v Essex (11-14 April)

Royal London One-Day Cup

Gloucestershire v Surrey (17 April)

Sussex v Surrey (19 April)

Surrey v Essex (23 April)

Surrey v Middlesex (25 April)

SUSSEX

Chris Jordan

Specsavers County Championship Division Two

Sussex v Leicestershire (5-8 April)

Durham v Sussex (11-14 April)

Royal London One-Day Cup

Sussex v Surrey (19 April)

Kent v Sussex (21 April)

Sussex v Somerset (24 April)

WARWICKSHIRE

Chris Woakes & Olly Stone (subject to fitness)

Specsavers County Championship Division One

Warwickshire v Kent (11-14 April)

Royal London One-Day Cup

Warwickshire v Yorkshire (19 April)

Northamptonshire v Warwickshire (21 April)

Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire (23 April)

Warwickshire v Durham (26 April)

YORKSHIRE

Joe Root

Specsavers County Championship Division One

Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire (5-8 April)

Hampshire v Yorkshire (11-14 April)

Adil Rashid (subject to fitness)

Royal London One-Day Cup

Yorkshire v Leicestershire (17 April)

Warwickshire v Yorkshire (19 April)

Yorkshire v Lancashire (21 April)

Yorkshire v Derbyshire (26 April)