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The WICB has decided to re-introduce day-night matches with the use of pink ball in their domestic first-class competition – the Regional 4-Day Tournament – for the upcoming season. The board had first carried out the experiment in 2009 to boost spectator interest that had been declining in the preceding years. Six of the 30 first-class matches in the upcoming season will be day-night matches, the WICB said in a release.”The purpose of the re-introduction of day-night matches is two-fold,” Roland Holder, WICB manager, Cricket Operations, said after the regional governing body released fixtures for the first half of the season on Thursday. “First, it allows our elite players to familiarise themselves with the pink ball, and secondly, it allows for greater spectator attendance, as patrons can have a relaxing evening watching their favourite team.”Each team has two matches – one home, one away – as gradually international boards begin to embrace this concept.”Four of the six day-night matches, which will begin at 3pm daily, have been scheduled before the Christmas and New Year’s holiday break. Those four also include the opening-round fixture between Trinidad & Tobago and Windward Islands at the Queen’s Park Oval from November 11 to 14. Defending champions Guyana will feature in the second day-night match, against St Lucia in the third round from November 26 to 29. The last two day-night matches are scheduled for the second half of the tournament in 2017.West Indies recently played their first day-night Test, against Pakistan, in front of empty stands in Dubai, where they lost by 56 runs. Their next Test with the pink ball is against England next summer at Edgbaston.

Plans to revive the oldest international cricket rivalry have been confirmed with the USA and Canada set to play three 50-over matches for the KA Auty Cup on October 13, 14 and 16 at Woodley Park in Los Angeles. The Auty Cup has not been played since 2013, in King City, where Canada retained the trophy after securing first-innings points in the drawn two-day match before sweeping a pair of Twenty20s – there was no result in the one scheduled 50-over game then.The matches will serve as key preparation for USA ahead of their participation in ICC World Cricket League Division Four, which begins October 29 at the same venue. The Auty Cup had originally been slated for the weekend of October 22-23, but according to sources the series was mutually decided to be brought up a week in part so that USA can have an extra week of preparation after the Auty Cup and ahead of Division Four.The tentative plan is for members of USA’s squad based outside of Los Angeles to fly in on October 12 and depart the night of the 16th before returning to Los Angeles the following weekend on October 22 for seven days of training and warm-up matches against local Los Angeles club sides leading into their first match of Division Four on October 29. The top two teams in the tournament, which also features Bermuda, Denmark, Italy, Jersey and Oman, will be promoted to WCL Division Three, scheduled for early 2017.”Canada certainly have some very talented players,” USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake, who coached Canada at the 2011 World Cup, said in a press release on Wednesday. “This Auty Cup will be a very good test for our USA team. We are looking forward to the challenge.”For Canada, these are the senior team’s first international matches since the 2015 World T20 Qualifier in Scotland and Ireland, where they went winless to finish last in Group B. It is also the first 50-over matches for Canada since January 2015, when they finished in last place at the six-team Division Two tournament to be relegated to Division Three. Canada is joined in Division Three by Uganda, Singapore and Malaysia.”Cricket Canada is excited about the opportunity to take on the USA again,” Cricket Canada general manager Ingleton Liburd stated in a press release. “We are hoping for some quality 50-over cricket, and hope we can retain the KA Auty Cup while we are on US soil.”The ICC press release announcing the matches also declared that the Auty Cup matches, along with USA and Bermuda’s games at Division Four, will be used to help pick a 15-man squad for an ICC Americas Combined team to participate in the 2017 WICB Nagico Super50 regional tournament. The ICC Americas office had conducted an open trial in Indianapolis last September to help pick a combined team, which featured six USA and nine Canada players, for this year’s tournament.Following the Nagico Super50, six ICC Americas players received Caribbean Premier League contracts, an opportunity which is expected to be offered again for 2017.

ScorecardAdam Rossington saw Northants to Finals Day•Getty Images

Northamptonshire Steelbacks sealed the second Finals Day spot with a commanding seven-wicket win over Middlesex. “No one likes us and we don’t care” rang out from a few in the Ken Turner Stand, as they rose to embrace more Twenty20 success.While the sentiment seems a tad forced, there is a feeling in this part of the world that many take delight in shedding light on their faults, while applying the dimmer when success comes their way. For the third time in four years, they will command the Edgbaston spotlight.It was a game that boiled down to how both sides operated outside the Powerplay overs. And even that can be caveated by the fact that the Steelbacks, who were all for chasing before Dawid Malan won the toss and opted to set a target, knew they didn’t have to break sweat.That Northants were led to victory by a measured and unbeaten 67 from Adam Rossington will have stung Middlesex supporters. Rossington used to be theirs: a plunderer of runs in the Middlesex second team while the first XI stuttered, hammering away at a door that, ultimately, never fully opened for him.Opportunities came with the white ball, but Middlesex’s ambivalence to limited overs cricket at the time, coupled with John Simpson’s desire to play all forms, meant he was beginning to exist in a void. The cheers of six-and-a-half thousand filled every bit of air above Wantage Road when he helped the final ball of the match around the corner for four.So much of the occasion spoke of being Northants’ night. Two hours before the start, Abington Avenue was at a standstill as members were turned away from the car park as Sky set-up their various trailers across most of the Wantage Road car park behind the Pavilion. “That’s why we don’t invite ’em round,” snarled an attendant.Sky’s cameras, or rather their absence, has been a point of contention in these parts. Despite reaching Finals Day twice in the previous three seasons and starting the 2016 campaign with a bang, this quarter-final was only their third televised match of the season.Originally scheduled for just one – at home against Birmingham Bears – a second came due to a last minute switch, when Yorkshire Vikings needed a win to guarantee a quarter-final spot (or at least that was the Northants slant). It did not take long in this broadcast for viewers to figure out what happens next.Malan, who rattled off an unbeaten 185 off 126 balls for the England Lions in his last innings at Wantage Road, was dismissed for a two-ball duck by Rory Kleinveldt, before Nick Gubbins followed in a similar manner to Richard Gleeson to reduce Middlesex to 10 for 2 in the second over. As a pair, it Kleinveldt and Gleeson’s opening spell, hitting just back of a length with all they could, that scuppered Middlesex’s chances of posting a competitive total.Paul Stirling’s natural instincts were reined in and, when he departed, thoughts turned to George Bailey, who they restricted to a run-a-ball 46, for Gleeson’s second wicket of the innings. Legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna’s 2 for 20 from his four in the middle of the innings – accounting for Stirling and the destructive John Simpson for eight – and regular bowling changes eventually saw Middlesex stumble to 132.It meant that when pressure was built during the opening six overs of Northants’ innings, through dot balls and a packed and expectant off side, it was easily relieved with a six over midwicket from Richard Levi, an exquisite swing into the stand at extra cover from Rossington or consecutive fours muscled down the ground by Josh Cobb.If there was one moment that might have turned the game, it was when Ben Duckett, Northants’ leading T20 Blast run-scorer, was dropped on three after driving aerially to Gubbins stationed at cover to Nathan Sowter, at the end of the eighth over. It was hit low and hard to Gubbins’ right and, given the measly target, the quality of the batsman and the importance of the match, it simply had to be taken.With the first ball of the very next over, Duckett stepped down and flicked James Franklin over midwicket for four to bring up 2,000 runs in all competitions. He would go on to make 29 in a 58-run partnership with Rossington that effectively sealed Northants’ passage to their fourth Finals Day.Given the uncertainty that exists at the club, that is a remarkable feat. Middlesex were shorn of Brendon McCullum, Eoin Morgan and James Fuller through injury. But Northants, too, have had a plethora of ailments to such an extent that they have spent as much time at a nearby sports therapy clinic as they have in the nets recently. That they have only used 16 players this season is remarkable. “We don’t have any more than that,” remarked Northants skipper Alex Wakely.No doubt some will insist on labelling them as “outsiders” in the lead-up to Edgbaston. But this will be their third appearance at Finals Day in the last four years, winning the competition in 2013 and finishing runners-up in last year’s showpiece. That is far beyond the work of “underdogs”. That’s what you call pedigree.

Mustafizur Rahman, the Bangladesh left-arm paceman, is facing shoulder surgery early next month which could sideline him for six months. The BCB are currently mulling whether to have the operation in England or Australia, and BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said that a decision on a surgeon will be made by Monday, but that Mustafizur was mentally prepared for the operation.Mustafizur is currently in England having linked up with Sussex after extended delays but his stint came to end last week after two matches when he suffered the shoulder injury. He has seen a specialist in the UK, who recommended that the SLAP (Superior Labrum from Anterior to Posterior) tear – which involves the ring of cartilage that surrounds the socket of the shoulder joint – could be treated through a surgery, which may rule him out for up to six months. Such a lay-off would rule him out of England’s visit in October and the tour to New Zealand at the end of the year.”In the last few days we have sent his reports to a number of places,” Yunus said. “We want him to be operated under the best surgeons. We have found two specialists in the UK and one in Australia. By Monday we can decide who will operate on Mustafizur’s shoulder. He is mentally prepared for the operation.”This sort of injury usually is treated conservatively but we are not going that way with Mustafizur because the doctors have said that it might recur in the future.”Yunus said that Mustafizur has been BCB’s priority and has always been withdrawn from the game at the onset of any injury. The first such occurance was during the Zimbabwe series in January this year when he was down with an injured shoulder. He also missed much of the Asia Cup and World T20 through a side strain while hamstring and ankle injuries delayed his Sussex stint.”We are taking the best care of Mustafizur. We have always withdrawn him from matches whenever he has complained of any physical problem,” Yunus said. “We haven’t seen him in Test matches that much. He has focused mostly in the shorter versions.”We didn’t send him to the PSL because he had injury. He had offers from the CPL. So that he is not overstressed, we are not letting him play when he has a problem.”

Bangladesh chief selector Faruque Ahmed has resigned hours after the BCB ratified significant changes to the way Bangladesh squads would henceforth be chosen.Under the new system, the existing three-member selection panel has expanded to also include the Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, BCB cricket operations chairman Akram Khan and BCB director Khaled Mahmud. The final nod would then be given by the BCB president.Faruque told ESPNcricinfo that the involvement of board members in the selection process would be too much of an interference: “It will be difficult to work in this system. We have to have scope to work without interference. The independence of the selectors will be greatly compromised. The new system isn’t going to help Bangladesh cricket, as it won’t be able to deliver. There will be shared accountability where no one would really know who took the decision.”Faruque had voiced his concerns over this three-step process when it was proposed last month. And on Sunday when it received the okay from the BCB, he said “the decision has been taken, I will not work under this system. I will complete the formalities once I return home from the US.”Previously, the selectors would seek out the captain and the coach for their inputs, but had the freedom to choose a side they thought was best. This side would then need to be approved by the cricket operations committee chairman and finally by the BCB president as well. Such has been the case for more than a decade.”You only change a system when it’s broken,” Faruque said. “Bangladesh cricket has been in good health so I didn’t see any reason to make such a big change to the selection process.Faruque was appointed in December 2013 for a second stint as chief selector. His first term had lasted four years from 2003 to 2007. He was praised for his bold approach, which led him to choose a 20-year old Mushfiqur Rahim ahead of Khaled Mashud as Bangladesh’s specialist wicketkeeper for the 2007 World Cup. The decision paid off as Mushfiqur went on to become one of his country’s most consistent performers.Faruque faced some trouble as well, notably when Mushfiqur said he wasn’t consulted before the 2014 Asia Cup squad was picked, and when legspinner Jubair Hossain was not picked in the squad for the 2015 World Cup despite coach Hathurusingha wanting him.His second stint also included a nine-month period between January and September 2014, when Bangladesh won only two out of 27 matches across formats. But they ended that year by beating Zimbabwe in three Tests and five ODIs, beating England in Adelaide to qualify for the World Cup quarter-final, and racking up series wins over Pakistan, India and South Africa in 50-over cricket. They also competed in the final of the Asia Cup 2016.”I have done my job with all honesty,” Faruque said. “I think I deserve a bit of [credit for] what Bangladesh have achieved when I was the chief selector. I think Bangladesh cricket and the game itself is much larger than a chief selector so I hope the best interest of Bangladesh cricket is taken into account. I am sure the BCB has made this new committee with good intentions but it would do more harm than good.”June 20, GMT 1810: The story has been amended to clarify the composition of the new selection panel

The ICC’s cricket committee and its chief executives’ committee want the global body to take “more control” of the decision review system (DRS), the ICC chief executive David Richardson has said.”Moving forward we probably need to take heed of what the cricket committee is saying, take heed of what the chief executives’ committee is saying, which is ICC should take more control over DRS,” Richardson said at the end of the six-day annual conference in Edinburgh on Saturday.Ever since it was first used in international cricket the DRS has polarised opinion despite some of the higher-ranked ICC officials, such as Richardson and current general manager Geoff Allardice, asserting that the system has been improving and performing consistently over time. Regardless, players and match officials have pointed out that it does not help if different technologies are used for DRS in different countries.Other than firm opposition from the BCCI, its most powerful member, the ICC has pointed out that high costs was a factor behind not funding the DRS. “So the implications of that need to be worked out: what is it going to cost, what it will take for the ICC to take more control, do we need to buy technologies, rent technologies etc,” Richardson said. “And, then, hopefully we would be able to implement down the line a more consistent form of DRS – wherever it is used it should be consistent. The players understand it, the umpires understand it, and the fans as well.”Last year the ICC commissioned engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to independently assess the performance of the technologies that are part of the DRS: ball-tracking and edge-detection. Allardice and former India captain and current head coach Anil Kumble, who is also head of the ICC cricket committee, were closely involved in the process. This June, the cricket committee was given a detailed report by the MIT experts.The aim of the testing process, Allardice told ESPNcricinfo recently, was for the researchers “to present their findings on each of the technologies they have assessed or observed to the CC (cricket committee) – their observations of the technology and their suitability for use”. He said that it was for the cricket committee to provide direction to the future use of the DRS.”Ideally the cricket committee was very much in favour of, if we are going to have DRS it should be consistently applied. I think once we get a system which everyone trusts then we are much closer to having a system which all teams will accept,” Richardson said in Edinburgh. “DRS has been around since 2011 (2008 was the first time it was trialled) and when it was first introduced the ball-tracking technology in most peoples’ eyes was good. But since then it has got better. We knew it was far more accurate than all the doubters were giving it credit for.”The BCCI has been the main critic of the DRS and specifically the ball-tracking technology, which it has said is not 100% accurate. Richardson said the testing process provided some hope. “The report is very encouraging. The report shows that actually ball tracking is ever more accurate than we perhaps gave it credit for.”Consequently the ICC decided to modify the umpire’s call aspect of lbw referrals: from October 1, for on-field lbw decisions to be overturned, half of the ball would now need to hit any part of the stumps. Earlier, half of the ball needed to hit a zone between the middle of off stump and the middle of leg stump.Richardson said this was only possible because the MIT testing had proved ball tracking was good enough. “And for that reason we are able to safely reduce the margin of uncertainty or the umpire’s call as we refer to. Ian Botham and all these experts were always saying “how can that be given not out? That ball was crashing into the leg stump.” But because the middle of the ball was just marginally, one millimetre, to the right of centre of the stump, then the umpire’s decision wasn’t reversed.”So what we have done really is just made that margin of uncertainty slightly bigger. Now the middle of the ball must be in line with the stump, which means half of the ball hitting the stump is going to be given out in the future. That is the simple change.”

Big picture: Afghanistan’s chance to make it two in two

After the net run-rate-boosting win over Hong Kong on the first day of the Asia Cup, Afghanistan have the chance to go clear at the top of Group B on Tuesday. Bangladesh are up next, fresh from the hiding at the hands of Sri Lanka. Afghanistan are the more confident of the two sides, which gives them the advantage before the start of the game.Azmatullah Omarzai’s record-breaking half-century from No. 6 led them in their 94-run win against Hong Kong. He added 82 runs for the fifth wicket with Sediqullah Atal, who ended unbeaten on 73. Afghanistan’s bowling was true to their reputation, hardly allowing the hapless Hong Kong batters a whiff.Related

• 'Belief is key' – Mushtaq rallies Bangladesh ahead of must-win Afghanistan clash

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• Afghanistan get their win but Trott wants improvement

Rashid Khan must have also been pleased with AM Ghazanfar and Noor Ahmad now taking more responsibility. Mohammad Nabi didn’t bowl against Hong Kong, but is likely to be back in the attack against Bangladesh, who have to take on an irrepressible spin attack, a particularly hard task given their own frailties and the conditions in the Emirates.Their batting was under pressure against Sri Lanka right from the start as they played out two wicket-maidens to begin with. Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy couldn’t revive the innings, leaving the job to Jaker Ali and Shamim Hossain. They have often done this well in the past, but couldn’t on the day.Bangladesh’s catching was below par. The bowlers also collapsed in the face of sensible and aggressive batting. Dropping Taskin Ahmed in favour of Shoriful Islam might have destabilised a side that looks up to Taskin for inspiration.They have to get their act together against Afghanistan, a side headed in the direction opposite to where Bangladesh are going. Bangladesh must lift themselves, otherwise their Asia Cup campaign could well be over before even taking off.1:14

Maharoof: Bangladesh have been lacking in major tournaments

Form guide

Afghanistan WLWWW
Bangladesh LWWLW

In the spotlight: Azmatullah Omarzai and Shamim Hossain

Azmatullah Omarzai is emerging as Afghanistan’s top pace-bowling-allrounder, who can bowl in pressure situations and bat effectively in the top six. His half-century against Hong Kong was Afghanistan’s fastest in the format. Omarzai struck five sixes and two fours in his 21-ball 53. He is more than useful with the ball too, often helping Afghanistan break partnerships. He would, however, like to improve his T20I batting record against Bangladesh, having scored just 88 runs in six outings so far.Shamim Hossain dug Bangladesh out of a hole against Sri Lanka, but his unbeaten 42 – and Jaker Ali’s unbeaten 41 – couldn’t quite get them to a winning position. Shamim and Jaker added 86 for the sixth wicket, both doing the sort of fire-fighting job they are asked to do often. The good part about Shamim’s innings was that he took the attack to the Sri Lanka bowlers at the end of the innings, something that should give him confidence against Afghanistan.Taskin Ahmed should return to the Bangladesh XI•AFP/Getty Images

Team news

Afghanistan are likely to stick to the same XI that played against Hong Kong in the tournament opener.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Sediqullah Atal, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Ibrahim Zadran, 4 Mohammad Nabi, 5 Gulbadin Naib, 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Karim Janat, 8 Rashid Khan (capt), 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 AM Ghazanfar, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiSaif Hassan and Nurul Hasan are top-order batting options Bangladesh could look at, while Taskin is likely to return into the playing XI.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shamim Hossain, 6 Jaker Ali, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Tanzim Hasan, 9 Rishad Hossain, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

Abu Dhabi has rewarded batters with intent in the Asia Cup so far, but the bowlers too have found help from the pitches. The forecast is for high temperatures.

Stats and trivia

• The two maiden overs Bangladesh played out at the start of their innings against Sri Lanka was only the second such instance in a men’s T20I match between two Full-Member teams. Zimbabwe did it against West Indies in 2010.
• Omarzai struck the fastest T20I fifty for Afghanistan in their Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong. His 20-ball half-century beat Nabi’s 21-ball effort against Ireland in 2017.

New Zealand knocked off a target of eight runs in 14 balls to complete a comprehensive win over a Zimbabwe side whose home form continues to suffer. Their only Test win this year was against Bangladesh in Chattogram in April, and they have now lost their last five Tests.The architects of New Zealand’s victory were their bowlers, headlined by Matt Henry’s second Test nine-for, which included three second-innings wickets. Although New Zealand were without Nathan Smith for the third day – he could not take the field to determine the severity of an abdominal strain – Will O’Rourke’s 3 for 28 and stand-in captain Mitchell Santner’s 4 for 27 meant Zimbabwe were bowled out for under 170 in both innings to leave major batting concerns.Despite a good mix of youthful talent and experience in their line-up, Zimbabwe are struggling to post big scores. Only Sean Williams’ 49 was noteworthy in this match, though wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga made a career-best 30 in the first innings and 27 in the second. His contribution forced New Zealand to bat again, and kept an innings defeat at bay.Zimbabwe only had one partnership over 50 in either innings, and it was the second-innings stand of 57 between Craig Ervine and Williams for the fifth wicket that they would have expected to stabilise them. The pair got together after New Zealand dismissed Nick Welch in the fifth over of the third morning, caught behind off a full ball from O’Rourke.Tafadzwa Tsiga frustrated New Zealand•Zimbabwe Cricket

Then New Zealand got nightwatcher Vincent Masekesa, who batted for 58 minutes and faced 40 balls for 2. Masekesa was undone by a surface that started to show signs of variable bounce and gloved a back of a length ball to Rachin Ravindra at short leg.Williams was on 14 off 12 balls at the time, and batting with good intensity. Though Zimbabwe were still 105 runs behind at the stage, the experience of Williams and Ervine calmed nerves, and could have set them up for something more. Ervine, in particular, navigated Henry’s line just outside off fairly well, and drove him for two excellently timed fours.The introduction of spin in the form of Michael Bracewell after the first hour posed challenges for Zimbabwe’s batters as Bracewell beat them in flight. Williams got the better of him when he brought out the reverse sweep, and worked his way into the 40s. But he fell when he tried to help a Santner delivery fine, and got a faint touch through to Tom Blundell.Two overs later, Ervine could do little about a full ball from Henry that nipped off the seam and moved away, taking the edge with it. He was caught behind for 22. Zimbabwe went to lunch on 114 for 6, still 44 runs behind.Henry could have had Tsiga in the third over after the break when he edged to second slip, but Bracewell could not hold on. Tsiga was on 1 at the time. Instead, Henry was rewarded with the wicket of Sikandar Raza, who, for the second time in the match, was dismissed trying to play a big shot. After trying to take on the short ball in the first innings, Raza looked to hit Henry over midwicket but only spliced it high for Ravindra to take a second catch.Mitchell Santner took 4 for 27 in the second innings•Zimbabwe Cricket

With Brendan Taylor in Zimbabwe’s squad for the second Test next week, Raza’s spot, especially after the way he played in this Test, might be most at risk.Raza’s wicket was Henry’s ninth in the match, and came in the seventh over of his spell, though the lunch break had given him some rest. He bowled another four as he went in search of a tenth, and could have got it when there was a sound when Newman Nyamhuri went after a ball that moved away. But it seemed that his bat had hit the pad. Nyamhuri was removed at the other end when he was bowled by Santner, who also had Blessing Muzarabani dropped at deep square leg on 1.Muzarabani and Tsiga’s partnership grew to 36, and Tsiga took Zimbabwe into the lead with a pinpoint four down the ground. But they would have known they needed plenty to make the match competitive. Muzarabani was tempted by flight, and hit Santner to cover. Meanwhile, Tsiga, batting with No.11 Tanaka Chivanga, top-edged a slog sweep, and was caught at point to end Zimbabwe’s innings on the stroke of tea.The break was taken despite the small number of runs New Zealand needed, and the game went into a third session. New Zealand were in a hurry to finish things as quickly as possible on resumption. Devon Conway hit the fifth ball of the innings for four but then came down the track to try and hit Nyamhuri over mid-off but played on.The wicket was as much joy as Zimbabwe got as Henry Nicholls hit the winning runs off Nyamhuri to give both sides the weekend off. The second Test starts next Thursday.

England have announced their home fixtures for next season, with the men’s and women’s teams taking on India during concurrent series in the middle of summer. The ECB has also confirmed that Lord’s will host its first women’s Test when India return for a one-off game in 2026.The 2025 season will see a joint visit by West Indies men’s and women’s teams, while England Men will face Zimbabwe in a one-off Test before finishing the summer by hosting South Africa for ODI and T20I series.The international season commences at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury on May 21, with England Women playing West Indies in the first of three T20Is, to be followed by three ODIs.The men will begin with a four-day Test against Zimbabwe – their first international meeting since the 2007 World T20 – to be staged at Trent Bridge from May 22-25, before the white-ball teams play three ODIs and three T20Is against West Indies.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

England Men’s five-Test series against India will kick off at Headingley on June 20, before back-to-back games at Edgbaston and Lord’s, followed by Old Trafford and The Oval.At the same time, England Women will take on India in five T20Is, the first of which will be at Trent Bridge on June 28, followed by a three-match ODI series that will also see the teams play at Lord’s.With the Hundred likely to take up much of August, England Men’s international programme will conclude with six white-ball games against South Africa before travelling to Ireland for a three-match ODI series.”Staging England Men’s and England Women’s series alongside each other has been popular with fans and supported the continued growth of the women’s game, with both the Ashes last year and the Pakistan series earlier this year proving successful,” Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive officer, said.”I’m excited we’ll be doing the same again for the West Indies and India series next year. Cricket fans are in for a real treat, and I hope they’ll be out in force to support both men’s and women’s sides.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“India touring is always a big draw and a highlight of any cricket summer. The last men’s Test series here was a nailbiter and I’m sure next year’s clash will be just as exciting, while our women’s series are always fiercely competitive. I’m delighted we’ll also be welcoming both West Indies teams back again for white-ball series, following this year’s men’s Test series.”To be welcoming Zimbabwe back for a men’s Test Match will be a historic moment, more than 20 years since their last visit. Test cricket is so beloved in this country, and we know that we have an important role to play in supporting developing Test-cricketing nations so that this format of the game thrives long into the future.”I’m also delighted we can confirm that India Women will return in 2026 to take on England Women in the first-ever women’s Test match at Lord’s. It will be a truly special occasion, and one of real significance.”

England home international fixtures 2025

England Women vs West Indies Women
1st Vitality T20I – May 21, Canterbury
2nd Vitality T20I – May 23, Hove
3rd Vitality T20I – May 26, Chelmsford1st Metro Bank ODI – May 30, Derby
2nd Metro Bank ODI – June 4, Leicester
3rd Metro Bank ODI – June 7, TauntonEngland Men vs Zimbabwe Men
Only Rothesay Men’s Test – May 22-25, Trent BridgeEngland Men vs West Indies Men
1st Metro Bank ODI – May 29, Edgbaston
2nd Metro Bank ODI – June 1, Cardiff
3rd Metro Bank ODI – June 3, The Kia Oval1st Vitality T20I – June 6, Chester-le-Street
2nd Vitality T20I – June 8, Bristol
3rd Vitality T20I – June 10, SouthamptonEngland Men vs India Men
1st Rothesay Test – June 20-24, Headingley
2nd Rothesay Test – July 1-6, Edgbaston
3rd Rothesay Test – July 10-14, Lord’s
4th Rothesay Test – July 23-27, Emirates Old Trafford
5th Rothesay Test – July 31- August 4, The Kia OvalEngland Women vs India Women
1st Vitality T20I – June 28, Trent Bridge
2nd Vitality T20I – July 1, Bristol
3rd Vitality T20I – July 4, The Kia Oval
4th Vitality T20I – July 9, Emirates Old Trafford
5th Vitality T20I – July 12, Edgbaston1st Metro Bank ODI – July 16, Southampton
2nd Metro Bank ODI – July 19, Lord’s
3rd Metro Bank ODI – July 22, Chester-le-StreetEngland Men vs South Africa Men
1st Metro Bank ODI – September 2, Headingley
2nd Metro Bank ODI – September 4, Lord’s
3rd Metro Bank ODI – September 7, Utilita Bowl1st Vitality T20I – September 10, Cardiff
2nd Vitality T20I – September 12, Emirates Old Trafford
3rd Vitality T20I – September 14, Trent Bridge