Edgbaston in 2022: Five reasons to be excited

It’s a new year at Edgbaston and, as ever, there’s lots to look forward to in 2022 with the return of international and domestic cricket.

The new season is just four months away when the Bears will begin the defence of their LV= Insurance County Championship title. Fixtures are due to be announced in early January. There’s also the return of The Hundred, Test cricket and the Commonwealth Games all coming to Birmingham this year.

We take a look at five reasons why you should be excited for 2022.

1. Champions back at Edgbaston

Where else could we start than seeing our County Champions back at Edgbaston in 2022 as the Bears seek to retain the trophy.

The LV= Insurance County Championship will return to two divisions this year, after two Covid-affected seasons. It will see the competition move to the 10:8 structure that was agreed by the First-Class Counties prior to the pandemic.

Warwickshire will take their place in Division One alongside Lancashire, Yorkshire, Surrey, Northamptonshire, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Essex and Kent.

Membership for 2022 offers entry to every home day of County Championship cricket, plus home Royal London Cup and Vitality Blast cricket. You can save £25 on Full Club Membership when purchased before our 1 February Early Bird deadline.

2. An Indian summer

Virat Kohli and the India team are in Birmingham in early July for the fifth and final re-scheduled Test match, which was due to take place last September, and an IT20 fixture against England.

India hold a 2-1 lead in the Test series and will look to win their fourth outright series victory on English soil, and a first since 2007.

Tickets for both fixtures went very quickly with the first three days of the Test match and the IT20 both sold out. Limited tickets are still available for Day Four and can be purchased online at tickets.edgbaston.com.

The Test match takes place from Friday 1 to Tuesday 5 July and the IT20 will be played on Saturday 9 July. Hospitality from our official provider Keith Prowse is still available for all days and for more information visit keithprowse.co.uk.

3. Brathwaite is back to lead the Bears

West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite will return to the Bears this summer as T20 overseas player and men’s team captain for the entire Vitality Blast campaign in 2022.

Brathwaite helped the Bears to a first quarter-final in four years in his debut Blast season with the Club in 2021 and quickly became a fan favourite.

As captain in 2022, he will be available for all group games and the knockout stages, should the Bears qualify for the quarter-finals and subsequently Finals Day at Edgbaston on Saturday 16 July.

The 2022 Vitality Blast season will take place from end of May to early July, with fixture due to be announced in the coming weeks.

Fans can get access to all seven home T20 games in 2022 with our T20 Season Pass, only £85. Match tickets are due to go on sale in early March.

4. 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

Athletes from around the world will be landing in Birmingham in July for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and Edgbaston will play its part hosting the Women’s T20 competition.

In total, eight days of action will take place at our famous venue from Friday 29 July to Sunday 7 August, as Women’s T20 cricket makes its first appearance at the games.

Tickets are now on general sale for all events across the games, including sessions at Edgbaston, and these can be purchased at birmingham2022.com.

Watch some of the biggest names compete in Birmingham this summer in a once in a lifetime games.

5. Birmingham Phoenix will rise again

After three sell out games in 2021, the Birmingham Phoenix will return to Edgbaston in 2022 looking to have the vocal home crowd behind them once again as both the men and women look to lift The Hundred titles.

World stars including Liam Livingston, Amy Jones, Moeen Ali, Issy Wong and more are due to don the orange once again as Edgbaston hosts four matches in August.

We can’t wait to see the stadium painted orange again. Tickets are due to go on general sale in April and for more information visit thehundred.com.

While we are famous for our world-class cricket, we also host first-class events all-year round from community events including our annual Fireworks Spectacular to meeting and weddings.

Edgbaston Events has a full calendar planned for 2022 and all can be viewed at edgbaston.com/events. If you’re planning an event in 2022, take a look at what we can offer at Edgbaston.