Pakistan to play 3 Tests in England next year

LONDON: Pakistan will tour England next year for three Tests, which will be part of the World Test Championship, it was announced on Wednesday The tour will also consist of three T20s and will start with the Test series on July 3.

The first Test will be played at Lord’s while the second Test will be held in Manchester from August 7 and the final game will be hosted at Trent Bridge from August 20. The three T20Is will be played on August 29, 31 and September 2 in Leeds, Cardiff and Southampton.

It was also confirmed that England’s return tour in 2022 will be played in October (3 ODIs) and in December (3 Tests). However England will make a break from tradition by staging the opening Test of their 2020 home season at the Oval.

The England and Wales Cricket Board released the international fixtures for next season on Wednesday, with a packed programme featuring visits by the West Indies, Australia, Pakistan and Ireland. The Oval, the south London headquarters of Surrey, usually hosts the last Test of an English season but in 2020 it will launch the programme instead.

After the Oval, England will face the West Indies in Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s.England will also play three Tests against Pakistan, at Lord’s, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge.

Both the West Indies and Pakistan series will count towards the World Test Championship table. In one-day cricket World Cup-winners England will face Australia and Ireland in three-match series, with the last game against the latter ending the England calendar at the Oval on September 15.

England’s preparations for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup will continue with six short-form matches split between Australia and Pakistan.

England schedule vs Pakistan: Jul 30-Aug 3: 1st Test, England v Pakistan, Lord’s (1000 GMT start)

Aug 7-11: 2nd Test, England v Pakistan, Old Trafford (1000 GMT start)

Aug 20-24: 3rd Test, England v Pakistan, Trent Bridge (1000 GMT start)

IT20 Series: Aug 29: 1st IT20, England v Pakistan, Headingley (1600 GMT start floodlit)

Aug 31: 2nd IT20, England v Pakistan, Cardiff (1330 GMT start)

Sep 2: 3rd IT20, England v Pakistan, Southampton (1730 GMT start, floodlit).