The Ageas Bowl will host an Ashes Test for the first time during the 2027 series.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced its venues to host men’s and women’s international cricket over a seven-year period between 2025 and 2031.

Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl was included on the list of grounds to be used for the 2027 Ashes, with Headingley and Emirates Old Trafford set to miss out for that five-match series.

Headingley and Emirates Old Trafford will return as venues for the 2031 Ashes series alongside Lord’s, Kia Oval and Trent Bridge.

Meanwhile, England Women will play at Lord’s during each year of this seven-year international schedule.

The Ashes Test for the women’s multi-format series in 2027 will be hosted by Headingley, while the Ageas Bowl will be used for the 2031 series.

Edgbaston will also remain the home of Vitality Blast Finals Day for the next eight years.

“Allocations have been announced for seven years, rather than the previous five-year period, to give venues greater certainty and to encourage sustainable investment in facilities,” an ECB statement read.

“For the first time, the same process has been used for allocating men’s and women’s international matches, over the same period.”

Australia will head into the men’s Ashes series with their players filling the top three slots in the world Test batting rankings.

In the latest weekly update from the International Cricket Council, c retains top spot with team-mates Steve Smith and Travis Head moving up to second and third respectively.

Smith climbs from third after his century in Australia’s World Test Championship final win over India, while Head rises from sixth after his player-of-the-match 163 in the same game at The Oval.

It is the first time since 1984, when the West Indian trio of Gordon Greenidge, Clive Lloyd and Larry Gomes were the occupants, that the top three positions have been provided by the same team.

Joe Root is the highest England batter in sixth.

Australia spinner Nathan Lyon has moved up to sixth in the bowling rankings after taking five wickets in the match against India. His captain Pat Cummins remains third, with England’s James Anderson second.

The first Ashes Test begins at Edgbaston on Friday.

Edgbaston is the venue for this week’s Ashes opener and has been a happy hunting ground for England over the years, though they will be out to avenge 2019’s loss to Australia.

England have won six and drawn five of their 15 Tests against Australia in Birmingham, losing four, while they have 29 wins there overall and only 10 losses.

Here, PA looks back at the ground’s Ashes history.

Results

Edgbaston welcomed the touring Australians for the first time in May 1902, when the rain helped the visitors to a draw despite having been bowled out for 36 in their first innings.

They lost by 10 wickets seven years later on their last visit until 1961, when Australia’s Neil Harvey and England’s Raman Subba Row and Ted Dexter all made centuries in a high-scoring draw.

The 1968 Test was also drawn before, in 1975, Australia inflicted England’s first ever loss in 17 Edgbaston Tests by an innings and 85 runs.

England won in 1981 and by an innings in 1985, captain David Gower with a double century. The decade concluded with Australia dominant in a draw in 1989.

Mark Waugh made 137 and 62 not out in a 1993 eight-wicket win for Australia and after Nasser Hussain’s double-century led England to a nine-wicket win in 1997, the tourists enjoyed another innings victory in 2001.

England won an unforgettable 2005 clash and, after a draw in 2009, won 2015’s encounter by eight wickets but will need to bounce back from a nightmare defeat in 2019.

Steve Smith hit twin 140s before England were bowled out for 146, spinner Nathan Lyon with six wickets as an opener and Pat Cummins four, to lose by 251 runs.

The West Indies won four times at Edgbaston between 1984 and 2000 with South Africa and New Zealand the other visiting teams to beat England there.

Jones…. Bowden

The 2005 Ashes thriller stands tall for England at Edgbaston. Regarded by many as the greatest Test ever played, England won by two runs after Australia almost chased an improbable 282 to win.

Buoyed by Glenn McGrath injuring himself in the warm-ups, England raced to a first-innings 407 and had a lead of 99 after cleaning up Australia. Andrew Flintoff then clubbed 73 to set the target before taking a memorable four for 79.

Australia were 137 for seven but Shane Warne fought back with 42 before treading on his stumps to give Flintoff his fourth wicket, and Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz produced a last-wicket stand of 59 which looked to be pushing Australia to a shock win and a 2-0 series lead.

Umpire Billy Bowden, though, deemed Steve Harmison had Kasprowicz caught behind by Geraint Jones, leading the great commentator Richie Benaud to simply say “Jones… Bowden” as the England celebrations unfolded.

The handshake that followed as Flintoff dropped down to meet a devastated Lee on his haunches has become an indelible image in Ashes history.

Barmy Army

England’s superb Edgbaston record runs alongside the fantastic support they get at the ground.

The Hollies Stand is one of cricket’s most vibrant places to watch the sport from and will witness the first Ashes airing of England supporters club the Barmy Army’s new chant for Stuart Broad, written to the tune of Abba’s Voulez-Vous.

Broad’s long-time rival David Warner is likely to be a prime target in his final Ashes but the Barmy Army’s first Test guide stresses the need to avoid personal abuse.

“We seek to be entertaining when singing and creating songs, not use offensive language and have good clean fun,” the document reads, adding that membership can be removed “without notice” from any fan who oversteps the mark.

Edgbaston heroes

England’s long-time opening bowling pair James Anderson and Stuart Broad have enjoyed tremendous records at Edgbaston and are the leading two wicket-takers at the venue.

Anderson, expected to be fit after sitting out the warm-up game against Ireland, will look to add to his 51 wickets at an average of 22.62 in 13 previous Tests at Edgbaston. That includes six for 47 and five for 80 against Australia in 2015 and 2009 respectively, with another five-wicket haul against India last year.

Broad took five for 51 against Ireland at Lord’s last week and has 43 wickets at 24.06 in 10 Edgbaston Tests including an Ashes five-for in 2019.

Joe Root averages over 60 with the bat in 13 Test innings there, with four half-centuries – including 63 and 57 in the 2015 and 2019 Ashes respectively – and two hundreds.

Warner averages just 22.25 in two Edgbaston visits but England will be wary of Smith’s average of 75.25 at the ground.

A century by Jamie Smith has given Surrey a chance of making history in the LV= Insurance County Championship.

The Division One leaders need another 238 for victory against Kent in what would be their highest-ever successful run chase.

The leaders were 263 for three at stumps and more than halfway to their target, with Dom Sibley 61 not out and Ben Foakes unbeaten on 22, after Smith made 114 and Tom Latham 58.

Kent were all out for 344 just before lunch at Canterbury, giving them a lead of exactly 500.

Joe Clarke posted his first century since September 2021 for Nottinghamshire but Warwickshire remain favourites to complete a fourth win of the season.

Nottinghamshire were following on after being bowled out for just 155 in reply to Warwickshire’s 571 for nine declared at Trent Bridge.

But despite Clarke’s unbeaten 119 they remain 149 runs behind after closing on 267 for four.

Matt Critchley hit 52 and took two wickets as Essex pushed for victory over Somerset at Chelmsford.

Essex set the visitors an unlikely 466 runs to win in just under five sessions after declaring on 170 for seven.

Somerset’s batters, headed by Tom Lammonby and Tom Abell’s half-centuries, gave them a chance of salvaging a draw as they finished on 172 for four to trail by 294.

Lancashire are closing in on a first win of the season after bowling out Hampshire for 371 in their second innings and reaching 48 for two in pursuit of their 140-run target.

A three-wicket burst by George Balderson helped the hosts work their way through the six remaining wickets, although they were held up by a determined knock of 87 from visiting skipper James Vince at sweltering Southport.

In Division Two, Shan Masood is unbeaten on 68 but Yorkshire lost late wickets chasing Derbyshire’s target of 212 and closed on 147 for six at Chesterfield with 65 more runs needed.

Derbyshire skipper Leus du Plooy made a superb 170 and shared a fifth-wicket stand of 277 with Haider Ali, who scored 146, as the home side made 453 to set up an exciting final morning.

Bas de Leede produced career-best batting and bowling figures to boost Durham’s hopes of defeating Glamorgan at Chester-le-Street.

De Leede scored an unbeaten 85 to allow Durham to post a mammoth total of 630, their fifth-highest score in first-class cricket, following 151 from David Bedingham.

The Netherlands international then struck with his first two deliveries before adding a third to end the day with three for 25 to leave Glamorgan four down at the close, still requiring 81 runs to make Durham bat again.

Tom Haines made 91 as Sussex headed into the final day against Worcestershire at Hove on 359 for six, with a lead of 297.

Lewis Hill spent more than five hours at the crease for 103 as Leicestershire reached 350 in reply to Gloucestershire’s 368. The hosts closed on nine without loss second time around with a draw appearing the most likely outcome at Bristol.

Yannic Cariah claimed four wickets while captain, Shai Hope, and Romario Shepherd both hit fifties as the West Indies defeated Scotland by 91 runs on Tuesday in their first warm-up game before the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.

The Scots won the toss and put the West Indians in to bat at the Harare Sports Club.

Hope top scored with a 65-ball 57 while Shepherd provided some valuable lower-order hitting with a brisk 34-ball 53 as the Windies posted 264 in 48.4 overs.

Hope’s knock contained six fours while Shepherd hit five fours and three sixes.

Chris Sole took 4-50 from his 10 overs while Jack Jarvis and Chris Greaves each claimed three wickets for Scotland.

The West Indies then successfully defended the total, needing only 33.5 overs to bowl the Scots out for 173.

Cariah produced an excellent spell of bowling to claim 4-46 in nine overs while Roston Chase took 3-43 from 5.5 overs.

Brandon McMullen and Matthew Cross were the chief scorers for Scotland with 38 and 35, respectively.

The West Indies next warm-up match will take place at the same venue on Thursday against the UAE.

Moeen Ali admits there is only one captain and one series that would have tempted him to overturn his Test retirement.

Moeen won the last of his 64 England caps almost two years ago and was content with his decision to step away from a format that has exacted a physical and psychological toll on him over the years.

The 35-year-old even rejected a no-strings attached offer to tour Pakistan in December, concluding that he did not have the required motivation to commit to one more leg of a lengthy winter on the road.

But things all changed when England’s first-choice spinner Jack Leach was unexpectedly ruled out for the summer.

England skipper Ben Stokes, who spent the best part of two months with Moeen during their time together at Chennai Super Kings in this year’s Indian Premier League, set the wheels in motion for a comeback and little more than a week later, Moeen was sitting in his new England whites taking questions at his home ground of Edgbaston.

Asked if there was any other captain he would have returned for, he said: “Probably not, no.

“His mindset is very different to other captains I’ve had previously. I’m not saying they are bad captains, but the way the game is going and the way they have been playing, he is the kind of guy you want to play for. Having spent a lot of time with him in the IPL, just talking to him, he is different.”

As for his motivation for one last crack at an Australia side who have provided him with some of the most challenging moments in international cricket, Moeen was more keen to focus on the draw of being back involved in one of his sport’s marquee rivalries.

“It’s such a big series…it’s the Ashes, to be part of it would be amazing. It is a free hit. I’m not playing for my spot. There’s no pressure, really. All the things I ever wanted to do in Test cricket I’m going to try to do in these games.”

Moeen linked back up for his first red-ball net session since September 2021 on Monday, but will be absent from the second day of training due to a longstanding date in the diary – receiving an OBE at Windsor Castle.

He does not yet know if King Charles will be the one handing over the honour, but having waited almost a year since being named on the list, he was not about to rearrange.

“I’ve been trying to book it for a while and not really had a date, so it’s tomorrow. I’m going,” he said.

“I spoke to Baz and he said it’s fine.”

His wife Firoza is joining him at the investiture and Moeen admits she was alone in advocating caution over a return to the Ashes glare.

“My wife wasn’t that keen, but everyone else around me was,” he added.

“At the back end of my career, she knew I didn’t enjoy it as much, that I was much happier with the way things were going and enjoying my cricket. So that took a lot of convincing.”

For England, the pros and cons of the Moeen call-up are clear. On the positive side, none of England’s other slow bowling options, such as Will Jacks, Liam Dawson or Rehan Ahmed, come close to his experience or tally of 195 Test wickets.

Yet there are those who see his long absence from red-ball cricket as a potential red flag and who would rather see a promotion for someone currently active in the County Championship.

“It’s a difficult one for me because I never picked myself. I just got the call,” he said.

“Obviously there are players out there that are playing and doing alright, but I think they (England) know me quite well and it’s not just having the character and the person in the changing room that you want. The results do matter, the process, the matches. I’ve got to perform and make some important impacts in the game.”

Moeen offered a remarkably honest assessment of his own style, openly accepting his limitations as a containing bowler and welcoming the freedom he is likely to be given to focus on attack.

“I’ve never been able to hold an end up,” he said. “When I have it’s because I’ve been taking wickets. That’s the only time I’ve been able to build any pressure. Ben and Baz know that.

“I’m sure they know what they are going to get from me – there won’t be a lot of maidens.

“I’d expect them to attack me, 100 per cent, if I was them I’d do the same. I’m not expecting them to defend me and things like that. I’m expecting them to come after me, which could be dangerous because Stokesy likes having the fielders up. I could go for a lot of runs. We’ll see.”

The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the Saint Lucia Kings have partnered with the Saint Lucian Ministry of Youth Development and Sports to create a new Under 19s schools T20 cricket tournament that will take place from Monday 26 June to Friday 7 July 2023. 

The Under-19s Schools T20 X-plosion will see the best cricketing talent from across Saint Lucia compete in T20 matches at the Gros Islet and La Ressource playing fields. The tournament will provide an invaluable opportunity for the young people of Saint Lucia to play competitive cricket in a friendly yet professional environment. 

There will be eight teams, each one representing one of the educational districts across the country. The teams will be picked via draft from a list of players provided by PE teachers and coaches with each squad having 15 players. 

The eight teams will be split into two groups of four with the top two teams from each group reaching the knockout stages.  

The Honorable Kenson Casimir, Minister for Youth Development and Sports, said: “I am very happy as the Minister for Youth Development and Sports for Saint Lucia that CPL has seen it fit to have a T20 cricket competition amongst our schools in Saint Lucia. I am very elated that Saint Lucia will be the first Caribbean island to host this competition. I think it will auger well for the development of the sport. The Ministry continues to provide support through coaching and equipment to our schools. So, I am looking forward to a very exciting tournament right here in Saint Lucia.”  

Pete Russell, CEO of the Caribbean Premier League, said: “We are delighted to partner with the Saint Lucia Kings and the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports to put on this fantastic tournament. There is so much cricketing talent across the Caribbean and it is vital that all stakeholders play their part in developing these young players and in doing so create a lifelong love of our wonderful sport. We wish all the young cricketers taking part all the best.” 

Satish Menon, CEO of the Saint Lucia Kings, said: “It's our privilege to partner with the CPL and the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports for this tournament. We at the Saint Lucia Kings are excited to provide a platform for the incredible cricket talent here. Hopefully, this will provide a springboard for the young cricketers to take it to the next level.”

Moeen Ali admits there is only one captain and one series that would have tempted him to overturn his Test retirement.

Moeen won the last of his 64 England caps almost two years ago and was content with his decision to step away from a format that has exacted a physical and psychological toll on him over the years.

The 35-year-old even rejected a no-strings attached offer to tour Pakistan in December, concluding that he did not have the required motivation to commit to one more leg of a lengthy winter on the road.

But things all changed when England’s first-choice spinner Jack Leach was unexpectedly ruled out for the summer. England skipper Ben Stokes, who spent the best part of two months with Moeen during their time together at Chennai Super Kings in this year’s Indian Premier League, set the wheels in motion for a comeback and little more than a week later Moeen was sitting in his new England whites taking questions at his home ground of Edgbaston.

Asked if there was any other captain he would have returned for, he said: “Probably not, no.

“I’ve obviously spent a lot of time with Stokesy in India…he didn’t mention anything about coming out of retirement, it was just about the Ashes and how he was looking to take the team. But he obviously watched me train out there and thinks I can bowl decently.”

As for his motivation for one last crack at an Australia side who have provided him with some of the most challenging moments in international cricket, Moeen was more keen to focus on the draw of being back involved in one of his sport’s marquee rivalries.

“It’s such a big series…it’s the Ashes, to be part of it would be amazing. It is a free hit. I’m not playing for my spot. There’s no pressure, really. All the things I ever wanted to do in Test cricket I’m going to try to do in these games.”

The pros and cons of the Moeen call-up are clear. On the positive side, none of England’s other slow bowling options such as Will Jacks, Liam Dawson or Rehan Ahmed, come close to his experience or tally of 195 Test wickets.

Yet there are those who see his long absence from red-ball cricket as a potential red flag and who would rather see a promotion for someone currently active in the County Championship.

“It’s a difficult one for me because I never picked myself. I just got the call,” he said.

“Obviously there are players out there that are playing and doing alright, but I think they (England) know me quite well and it’s not just having the character and the person in the changing room that you want. The results do matter, the process, the matches. I’ve got to perform and make some important impacts in the game.”

Moeen offered a remarkably honest assessment of his own style, openly accepting his limitations as a containing bowler and welcoming the freedom he is likely to be given to focus on attack.

“I’ve never been able to hold an end up,” he said. “When I have it’s because I’ve been taking wickets. That’s the only time I’ve been able to build any pressure. Ben and Baz know that.

“I’m sure they know what they are going to get from me – there won’t be a lot of maidens.

“I’d expect them to attack me, 100 per cent, if I was them I’d do the same. I’m not expecting them to defend me and things like that. I’m expecting them to come after me, which could be dangerous because Stokesy likes having the fielders up. It could go for a lot of runs. We’ll see.”

Michael Vaughan claims his England side were playing ‘Bazball’ during their memorable Ashes series triumph of 2005.

The current England team have developed into an attacking and entertaining Test unit over the past year under the guidance of coach Brendan McCullum – nicknamed Baz – and captain Ben Stokes.

They head into this summer’s Ashes series, which begins at Edgbaston on Friday, confident of reclaiming the urn from Australia.

Former England skipper Vaughan can see similarities with the way his team approached the contest 18 years ago, remembering particularly the series-changing second Test at Birmingham.

England had been thrashed in the opener at Lord’s but bounced back in exhilarating style.

“I remember having a team meeting on the Tuesday night and I basically gave the players the freedom to go and be really aggressive with the bat,” said Vaughan, who was speaking in a new 10-part original podcast series from Global, Legends of the Ashes, which launches on Thursday.

“We have to be aggressive. I didn’t expect us to get 400 in, I think it was 80 (overs). Very much like the modern England thing, the Ben Stokes (way) – we were playing ‘Bazball’ in 2005 for that first day at Edgbaston.”

The day began in extraordinary fashion as Australia’s inspirational seamer Glenn McGrath injured his ankle when he trod on a stray ball during the warm-up and was forced to miss the game.

England scored 407 with 90 from Marcus Trescothick, 48 from Andrew Strauss and half-centuries from Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff.

Vaughan said: “You shouldn’t really celebrate great players being stretchered off at that time, but we were. Particularly Tres. He couldn’t believe his luck!”

Australia fought their way back into the contest but England snatched a tense and dramatic two-run victory in one of the great Test finishes on the fourth morning.

Vaughan said: “I don’t remember much about the celebration other than I’ve obviously seen the celebrations on TV and I’ve no idea why I jumped on Freddie Flintoff, I’ve no idea why I pulled his ears.

“You just do these stupid things when you’ve kind of come to the end of what was nearly four days of great cricket.”

:: Legends of The Ashes is a new 10-part Global Original podcast series launching on Global Player and all major audio platforms from Thursday, June 15.

England will attempt to end a miserable past few years in the Women’s Ashes and topple Australia for the first time since 2013-14 when the multi-format series starts next week.

Here, the PA news agency assesses some of the burning issues ahead of the curtain-raising one-off Test at Trent Bridge which begins next Thursday.

The greatest show

Heather Knight recently harked back to making her England debut in Mumbai in 2010 “in front of one man and his dog” and, as a student, having to explain to her tutor why she would be absent for a month. Thankfully those days are over. The England captain was given equal billing alongside men’s counterpart Ben Stokes on a Tower Bridge projection last week and ticket sales for the ‘WAshes’ have already exceeded a combined 70,000 for the seven matches. Even if there is still just a solitary Test, it will span five days in a break from the customary four-day affair – giving both teams a chance to claim a first Ashes win in whites since 2015. Barriers continue to be breached for Knight’s side as they will also play T20s at Edgbaston, the Kia Oval and Lord’s for the first time.

Lanning absence evens the odds?

Issy Wong may have only played on 13 occasions for England but the fast bowler seems to revel in being tormentor-in-(mis)chief, remarking last month about Australia: “It’s a pretty good time to play them.” On the surface, this seems a peculiar comment given Australia’s all-out dominance for much of the last decade. They are the double world champions and have held the urn for the last eight years, beating England on their own patch twice in that time. But there is a little substance to Wong’s claims with Rachael Haynes retiring last year and now totemic captain Meg Lanning withdrawing from the upcoming series due to medical issues. Are Australia more vulnerable now? Unquestionably. Lanning is an exceptional captain and batter who has been in red-hot form. But her temporary successor Alyssa Healy is also a quality player, as are Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner and Jess Jonassen. Australia are still overwhelming favourites to continue their stranglehold over England.

Who is the leader of England’s attack?

While Wong’s slightly provocative observation was rooted in Australia selecting one or two more unproven talents, England also look a little light in certain areas. Katherine Sciver-Brunt may have had a peripheral role given her scaling back of commitments but the seamer’s retirement robs England of crucial experience. Wong has shown in the last 12 months she can step up and be counted when the heat is on – notably at this year’s Women’s Premier League – so it may be the 21-year-old steps into the considerable void left by Sciver-Brunt. Fellow quick Kate Cross’ battle against a tropical disease has cut into her playing time so she may not be up to speed for the Test while Lauren Bell is relatively untested.

‘Jonball’ faces its acid test

Since succeeding Lisa Keightley as England head coach late last year, Jon Lewis has attempted to instil a more attacking mindset into his charges. Lewis has taken his cues from working alongside Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes in the embryonic stages of the pair transforming the men’s Test side, sensing this is the best way to break Australia’s stranglehold on women’s cricket. ‘Jonball’ – the term coined by star all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt – has had modest returns so far with a semi-final exit at the 2023 T20 World Cup but it seems England will keep ploughing the same furrow when Australia are in town.

Pressure on Heather?

The decision to jettison Charlotte Edwards and promote Knight as England captain a little over seven years ago was controversial at the time. But barely 12 months into the role, Knight justified her ascension by leading England to a seminal World Cup triumph. She has been unable to land a telling blow in the Ashes, with one drawn series and two heavy points defeats. A third this summer might draw scrutiny on her position even if Australia are one of the greatest sides of all time in women’s sport. Knight remains the natural leader of this England team and her authoritative presence was missed at the sharp end of last year’s Commonwealth Games, a tournament she sat out because of injury.

England captain Ben Stokes says he will not make allowances for Australia and change his style for the Ashes as that would render all the progress of the last year “completely pointless”.

The so-called ‘Bazball’ revolution has seen the Test side flourish under the leadership of the all-rounder in partnership with coach and former New Zealand international Brendon McCullum, with the team having claimed 11 wins in 13 matches.

Edgbaston hosts the opening Ashes Test on Friday and Stokes said despite the history between the two sides, the quality of the opposition and what was at stake, he would not deviate from their attacking game-plan against the newly crowned World Test Championship winners.

“Nothing is going to change because we’ve had unbelievable success with it,” Stokes, who said his priority was to make everything “fun”, told BBC Test Match Special.

“If we were to change anything from the last 12 months because we find ourselves in an Ashes series then anything from the last 12 months will have been completely pointless.”

“Even before getting together as a Test team for the first time with me as captain, there was one simple thing I said I had to be doing and that was being completely true to myself.

“I had to stay true to how I’ve gone about things as a player, and do them as a captain. I had 85 or 86 games before I got made captain, and the guys that I’ve played with knew me as a person and a player.

“So if I became captain and started doing things completely differently to what they knew me for, it would raise a few eyebrows.”

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced the match schedule and venues for the highly anticipated West Indies versus India Men’s Series in July and August.

The Series starts with two Test matches as part of the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship. Windsor Park in Dominica will host the first Test match from 12-16 July. The second Test match, to be played from 20-24 July at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, will be historic marking the 100th Test match played between the two teams.

The Test Series is followed by three CG United One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and five T20 Internationals (T20Is). The CG United ODI Series will start at Kensington Oval in Barbados with the first and second matches on 27 and 29 July. The CG United ODI Series concludes on 1 August at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad which will be hosting a West Indies Men’s ODI for the first time.

The T20Is also bowl off at Brian Lara Cricket Academy on 3 August. Guyana hosts the second and third T20Is at the Guyana National Stadium on 6 and 8 August. The T20I Series concludes in Lauderhill, Florida with a blockbuster weekend of back-to-back matches on Saturday 12 August and Sunday 13 August at Broward County Cricket Stadium.

Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI, said: “We are delighted to be able to confirm the schedule and venues for the highly anticipated visit by India. One of the highlights will be the 100th Test at the Queen’s Park Oval and this promises to be a fantastic occasion as we celebrate this historic event between these two proud cricketing nations.”

Grave added: “We also look forward to hosting India in the white ball fixtures and welcoming fans to attend the matches across the region, as well as in the United States. It will be 18 days of entertainment for cricket lovers to enjoy and savour.”

Official West Indies Tour Operator packages, including match tickets will be announced first.  The Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard, available through the Windiescricket.com website, will launch ticket sales by Tuesday 20 June. Fans can sign up to receive the first news of tickets going on sale at https://www.windiescricket.com/updates.

MATCH SCHEDULE

India tour of West Indies 2023

​Test Matches

12-16 July: 1st Test Match, Windsor Park, Dominica

20-24 July: 2nd Test Match, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
​* Local start time: 10h00 (09h00 Jamaica time)

​CG United ODIs

27 July: 1st CG United ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados

29 July: 2nd CG United ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados

1 August: 3rd CG United ODI, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
​* Local start time: 09h30 (08h30 Jamaica time)

T20 Internationals

3 August: 1st T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad

6 August: 2nd T20I, National Stadium, Guyana

8 August: 3rd T20I, National Stadium Guyana

12 August: 4th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida

13 August: 5th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida

* Local start time: 10h30 (09h30 Jamaica time)

The Vitality Blast match between Surrey and Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff last Wednesday was a historic one for West Indian off-spinner, Sunil Narine.

While he ended up with relatively pedestrian figures of 1-34 off his four overs to help Surrey defend a mammoth 237, his dismissal of South African Colin Ingram for 11 was extremely significant.

With that dismissal, the 35-year-old Trinidadian became only the third man in history to reach 500 wickets in T20s, joining Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, who has 555 and fellow Trinidadian, Dwayne Bravo, who leads the way by a mile with 615.

Narine made his T20 debut all the way back in 2011 when he represented Trinidad & Tobago against Hampshire in the Caribbean T20 at the Kensington Oval and has since gone on to represent a number of franchises in leagues across the globe, most notably helping the Kolkata Knight Riders to a pair of IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, taking over 20 wickets in each season.

In Surrey’s next game, which they also won, Narine was back to his best with figures of 3-12 in 2.5 overs.

In total, Narine has taken 503 wickets in 461 matches at an average of 21.01 including 12 four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul.

For the West Indies, Narine has taken 52 wickets in 51 matches at 21.25. His last T20 for the West Indies came against India at Providence in 2019.

Jon Lewis believes his England squad are ready for the “great challenge” of trying to win back the Women’s Ashes and revealed he has enlisted the help of an Australian to boost their cause.

Lewis selected a 15-player group for next week’s Test with Australia at Trent Bridge on Monday, with uncapped Western Storm duo Lauren Filer and Danielle Gibson included alongside white-ball international Alice Capsey, who is yet to play Test cricket.

England have not won the multi-format series since 2014, but have gathered information about the current 50-over and T20 world champions from Matthew Mott.

Queensland-born Mott, now England men’s white-ball coach, spent seven years in charge of Australia Women before leaving his role last year.

Lewis said: “I had a really good conversation with Matthew. We talked actually before the World Cup (in February) at quite a length about the Australian team.

“Unfortunately we didn’t get to play them at the World Cup but still got a lot of information from that conversation. He was really open with me about how to play against the Australians, their strengths and them as people.

“Obviously I have my own insight now in terms of the WPL experience. Alyssa (Healy) was the captain of UP Warriorz – where I was coaching – and Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris were there as well, so I have a good insight into how they go about their business.

“Yeah, Matthew was really helpful and shared some good information.”

Australia have won the past two Ashes series by a 12-4 score and while aware of the size of the task at hand, Lewis has belief in his youthful squad.

An aggressive style of cricket has been adopted since Lewis took over in November and it will be replicated again this summer in front of record crowds with more than 11,000 spectators set to attend the five-day Test.

Before the series opener on June 22, England face Australia A in a three-day warm-up fixture at Derbyshire on Thursday while England A take on Australia in Leicestershire, which will act as vital preparation considering the lack of red-ball opportunities in the women’s game.

“We will have to play our best cricket. We are very aware of the quality of the Australian side, we are very aware they are a formidable opponent and we are really keen to try and disrupt the flow of their game by playing the game the way we want to play it,” Lewis explained.

“If we can dictate the play more often than not, I think we have our best chance of beating the Australians but we’re incredibly aware of the challenge that lies ahead of us because they’ve been a very dominant team for a long period of time.

“I am really pleased with where the players are at with the preparation time we’ve had. I think they are in a really good head space, they are really clear about how we want to play and they are ready for the challenge ahead.

“Obviously the challenge is a great challenge and what will play out, will play out but in terms of whether they are ready to take on the Australians this week and next week? Yeah I feel they are in a good space.

“I think it is a huge summer for women’s sport in England. Last year it was with the Lionesses winning the Euros and there was a massive following for them.

“This summer it is Ashes and the Women’s Ashes in particular for us. As much as we can, we encourage people especially up in Nottingham to come through the gate and watch what will hopefully be some really entertaining cricket.”

Lewis admitted his final XI for next week’s Test is not decided and placed importance on this week’s warm-up fixtures with Danni Wyatt set to feature for England A to improve her chances of a Test debut while uncapped duo Filer and Gibson will get the opportunity to impress against Australia A.

Both have impressed for Western Storm this season, Gibson hitting two recent half-centuries in the Charlotte Edwards Cup and Filer claiming eight wickets in four Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy matches in 2023.

Lewis added: “Dani for me is one of the in-form cricketers in the country, she is a pretty dynamic player and gives us flexibility in terms of selection.

“Then Lauren Filer is a point of difference bowler, someone that bowls with more pace than probably anyone in the country.

“I’m really excited about both those cricketers.”

England have named uncapped Western Storm duo Lauren Filer and Danielle Gibson in their 15-player group for next week’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.

Jon Lewis’ side begin their quest to win back the Ashes for the first time since 2014 with a five-day Test against Australia from June 22.

Twelve members of the group have featured for England before in red-ball cricket, but Filer and Gibson, alongside Alice Capsey, are now vying to earn their Test debuts.

All-rounder Gibson travelled as a reserve to the T20 World Cup in February and has had a fine season with recent half-centuries for the Storm in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.

Seamer Filer has claimed eight wickets in four Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy matches in 2023 and could feature in a warm-up fixture against Australia A at Derbyshire from Thursday.

England have also named their A-squad for a three-day warm-up game with Australia at Leicestershire from Thursday and Danni Wyatt and Alice Davidson-Richards, who are both part of the 15-player Test group, are included.

Lewis said: “We are looking forward to what promises to be an exciting Ashes series.

“We are fortunate that our talent pool is growing fast, this has enabled us to pick a nicely balanced squad.

“Dani (Gibson) is one of the form cricketers in the country, she is improving both with bat and ball and if selected in the team, offers us a dynamic cricketer who can change the momentum of the game.

“Lauren is a genuine wicket-taking threat with good pace and swing. Again, if selected in the playing 11, she offers us a point of difference in our bowling attack that could impact a Test match at any point in the game.

“Our preparations are going well and this week’s upcoming games against Australia A and Australia give us another great opportunity to rehearse for the Test match next week.

“To have two Ashes series running alongside each other is very special and we look forward to entertaining our fans and gaining some new ones along the way.”

England Test squad to face Australia: H Knight (captain), N Sciver-Brunt (vice-captain), T Beaumont, L Bell, A Capsey, K Cross, A Davidson-Richards, S Dunkley, S Ecclestone, L Filer, D Gibson, A Jones, E Lamb, I Wong, D Wyatt.

England A squad to face Australia in warm-up: L Winfield-Hill (captain), C Dean (vice-captain), M Bouchier, A Davidson-Richards, F Davies, S Glenn, K Gordon, E Gray, B Heath, E Jones, P Scholfield, G Scrivens, D Wyatt.