Edgbaston has been named as the host venue for the opening match of next year’s Specsavers Ashes Test series
Birmingham’s Edgbaston Stadium has been named by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as the host venue for the opening match of next year’s eagerly awaited Specsavers Ashes Test series between England and Australia.
Edgbaston, which also hosts England’s first Test against India in 13 days’ time, will stage the opening Ashes clash between Test cricket’s greatest rivals from Thursday 1 August 2019. It has also secured Vitality Blast Finals Day on Saturday 21 September after an agreement was made between Warwickshire CCC, Nottinghamshire CCC and the ECB to relocate the event from Trent Bridge, which was originally named as the host venue when the allocation of fixtures was made.
We believe that there is nowhere better for Joe Root’s team to start the Specsavers Ashes Series than in-front of a full house of passionate fans at Fortress Edgbaston.
Neil Snowball
Neil Snowball, Chief Executive of Warwickshire CCC and Edgbaston Stadium: “England have an outstanding record in Birmingham and we believe that there is nowhere better for Joe Root’s team to start the Specsavers Ashes Series than in-front of a full house of passionate fans at Fortress Edgbaston.
“The last Ashes Test in 2015 was a fantastic occasion and those in attendance experienced Edgbaston at its atmospheric best as England recorded an eight-wicket victory and went two-one up in the series.
“We’re also very pleased to have secured the return of Vitality Blast Finals Day. It’s become one of the biggest days in the British sporting calendar and it’s fantastic to know that Edgbaston will continue as ‘the home of Finals Day’ until at least 2024, having been awarded the five subsequent events from 2020 earlier this year by the ECB.
“Our thanks go to Nottinghamshire CCC and the ECB for allowing this move to happen.”
In total, Edgbaston will host 11 days of major match cricket during the 2019 summer, with the venue having already been awarded five marquee fixtures in the ICC Cricket World Cup, which takes place in England and Wales between 30 May and 14 July.
Nicola Hewitt, Commercial Director at the West Midlands Growth Company, which operates leisure tourism programme Visit Birmingham, said: “The 2019 international fixture list demonstrates how Edgbaston Stadium continues to be a global sporting venue for thousands of cricket fans each year. Its exciting 11-day programme of major match cricket is set to entertain visitors from across the world.
“We are set to witness a great year of cricket in 2019, welcoming the first Test of the Ashes as well as several ICC Cricket World Cup fixtures. Birmingham’s strong track record in hosting international sports events, with the 2022 Commonwealth Games also firmly on the horizon, is a key reason why our local tourism sector continues to grow – with visitor numbers, spend and hotel revenue at record highs.”
