England line-up warm-up games for Ashes tour

SYDNEY: England will play tour matches in Perth, Adelaide and Townsville in the lead-up to the first Ashes Test against Australia at the Gabba later this year, Cricket Australia said on Thursday.

Joe Root’s team will play the three warm-ups ahead of the opening Test in Brisbane on November 23, with a further match added between the second and third Tests.

They open their tour with a two-day game against a Western Australian XI at Perth’s WACA Ground from November 4-5.

The team then head to Adelaide Oval for a day-night four-day clash against a Cricket Australia XI from November 8-11 to familiarise themselves with the pink ball to be used for the inaugural day-night Ashes Test at the same venue from December 2.

England then travel to Townsville in steamy north Queensland for a final four-day game against a Cricket Australia XI from November 15-18.

“Those fans here to support England can get along to these matches and in particular we’re pleased to be able to bring a four-day match up to Townsville,” CA team performance manager Pat Howard said.

“These tour matches also importantly provide our emerging players the ability to experience top level international competition.”

After the second Test in Adelaide England will have another two-day hit-out against a Cricket Australia XI from December 9-10 in Perth, ahead of the third Test in the same city, which begins on December 14.

England’s one-day team have also lined-up a 50-over tour match to prepare for their five-game series against Australia in January, to be played in Sydney on January 11 ahead of the first ODI at the Melbourne Cricket Ground three days later.

The Ashes series remains clouded by a bitter pay dispute between Australia’s cricketers and Cricket Australia, centred on the governing body’s desire to scrap revenue-sharing.

Vice-captain David Warner has warned of a strike during the showpiece series, although head coach Darren Lehmann, currently with the team in England for the ICC Champions Trophy, has played down any possible disruption.