ECB Announce Schedule for Ireland & Pakistan Series

London: England will host Ireland in a three-match one-day international series starting on July 30 before taking on Pakistan in a packed summer calendar, the England & Wales Cricket Board announced on Monday.

The Ireland squad will arrive in England and set up their base at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton on July 18, before facing world champions England in three ODIs at the same venue.

The second and third ODIs between the two sides will be on Aug. 1 and Aug. 4 respectively.

Ireland have only beaten England once in their 10 ODI encounters.

Pakistan, who arrived in England on June 28 to quarantine themselves ahead of the bilateral series, will face the hosts in three tests and three Twenty20 internationals.

The first test will be played from Aug. 5-9 at Old Trafford, before the teams head to Southampton for the second (Aug. 13-17) and then third test (Aug. 21-25).

The three T20 matches will be played at Old Trafford, with the opening game scheduled for Aug. 28.

England return to action following the COVID-19 stoppage with three tests against West Indies, with the first match scheduled to begin in Southampton on Wednesday without fans in attendance.

“It has taken significant effort and expertise to allow us to reach a position where cricket is now ready and able to return to the field of play from the elite level to recreational cricket,” ECB Chief Executive Tom Harrison said in a statement.

“We owe a significant debt of gratitude to the players, staff and administrators of the Cricket West Indies, Cricket Ireland, and the Pakistan Cricket Board for their willingness and co-operation to get international cricket back up and running.”

The ECB confirmed it was also exploring options to host England’s limited-overs series against Australia this summer.