It will be fortunate for the Australian cricket team to avoid playing at Trent Bridge in the 2019 Ashes series, as the schedule for the same has been announced by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). In the next English summer, the Australian team will be locking horns with the hosts, where reigning champions Australia will be seeking a record sixth title.
One thing that will enhance the magnitude of the rivalry between the two teams will be the fact that 2019 Ashes will be the first series played under the new ICC Test Championship for both teams, which will see nine Test nations (excluding newcomers Ireland and Afghanistan, as well as Zimbabwe) play six series over two years – three home and three away – in a league format before a final in June 2021.
The Ashes Tests, which are sure to be bolstered by a strong traveling contingent of supporters, will begin on August 1 at Edgbaston followed by the second at Lord’s, with the third hot on its heels at Headingley in Leeds, the northernmost venue of the tour.
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It was at Trent Bridge where Australia was bundled out for a meager score of 60 inside 19 overs in 2015, two years after they narrowly fell short of victory in the opening Test of the 2013 Ashes at the same venue, a match best remembered for Ashton Agar’s 98 batting at No.11 on Test debut.
Next winter’s tour will come after the suspensions for Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft have transpired and this series could mark their return to Australia’s Test team. However, the World Cup final is scheduled for July 15 next year, giving the Australians little more than two weeks to prepare for the Ashes, if they manage to reach the final.
England will prepare for the Ashes in a historic four-day Test against newcomers Ireland at Lord’s that is scheduled for July 24-27.
Australia Ashes Tour of the UK 2019
First Test – August 1-5 at Edgbaston, Birmingham
Second Test – August 14-18 at Lord’s, London
Third Test – August 22-26 at Headingley, Leeds
Fourth Test – September 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
Fifth Test – September 12-16 at The Oval, London
