Excitement builds as ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 fixtures are released
26 April 2018
Bristol has been awarded three games at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 as the tournament returns to England and Wales next year.
Bristol fixtures:
Saturday 1st June 2019 – Afghanistan v Australia (Day/Night)
Friday 7th June 2019 – Pakistan v Sri Lanka (Day)
Tuesday 11th June 2019 – Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Day)
England will play the opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup England and Wales 2019 at The Oval against South Africa on 30 May 2019.
The tournament will culminate in a record fifth final at a packed Lord’s Cricket Ground - the Home of Cricket – on 14 July 2019.
Edgbaston and Old Trafford will host semi-finals on 9 and 11 July, respectively and Old Trafford will host the much-anticipated India v Pakistan match on 16 June 2019.
In total, 11 venues will be used for the 12th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup. Lord’s and The Oval will be used in London, in addition to Edgbaston, Old Trafford, Bristol County Ground, Cardiff Wales Stadium, The Riverside, Headingley, Hampshire Bowl, Trent Bridge and The County Ground, Taunton.
The ECB was awarded the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in 2006 following its withdrawal from the bidding to host the 2015 World Cup. This is the first time that a ICC Cricket World Cup has been held in the UK since 1999. ECB hosted the first three ICC Cricket World Cup tournaments in 1975, 1979 and 1983.
Gloucestershire Cricket Chief Executive Will Brown expressed his excitement, he said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be a host venue for the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019 and are delighted to be welcoming so many fantastic teams to Bristol. To be hosting the current champions Australia in their opening match of the tournament is a great honour and we look forward to them taking on Afghanistan under the lights here at Bristol. Two other former world cup winning nations will also be in Bristol in the form of Sri Lanka and current ICC Champions Trophy Winners, Pakistan. Bangladesh, coached by Gloucestershire Legend, Courtney Walsh make up the mix of teams and we know all will be given a very warm West Country welcome.”
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “It is a great honour to have Bristol’s own County Ground hosting next year’s Cricket World Cup. Locally we are working to make sport more accessible in our city in order to increase participation, encourage more home-grown elite talent and attract more world class events to Bristol. To hold an international event of this scale will be great for encouraging tourism from around the world and hopefully inspiring the next generation of sport stars here in Bristol.
“We are hosting some great fixtures and I’ll be personally counting down the days until the first ball is bowled in Bristol on 1st June.”
Kathryn Davis from Destination Bristol said: “We are excited about this incredible opportunity to showcase Bristol to the world. With the wonderful facilities at the Bristol County Ground and our strong cricket heritage, whether WG Grace or the critical role that Brunel’s SS Great Britain made in development of the International game, we have a very special story to tell and a chance to inspire visitors to spend time in the city before, during and long after the tournament.
We look forward to extending a very warm welcome to the players, officials, supporters and viewers from across the globe who will play and stay in the region.”
Steve Elworthy, the ECB Tournament Director, added: ‘‘Today’s announcement of the schedule is another important moment in the build-up to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 – the moment that the tournament comes to life for teams and cricket lovers across the world. This is the flagship event in one day cricket.
“There are some fantastic head to head fixtures – England v Australia at Lord’s and India v Pakistan at Old Trafford as well as England v India at Edgbaston spring to mind. As organisers we can promise the teams and fans we will work hard to provide the perfect stage for this event.
“Because of the UK’s diverse population, every competing team will also be guaranteed a ‘home crowd’ every time they play at some of the most iconic cricket grounds in the world.
“The Cricket World Cup is the 3rd most watched global event and has huge interest and appeal amongst cricket fans. Our ambition is to grow the game and deliver the greatest ever cricket celebration and with that in mind we have very carefully developed our ticket prices.
The prices have been tested with thousands of fans over the last 6 months, we have used external experts and consulted widely to ensure that they are good value vs other global sporting events. The prices balance accessibility with delivering the investment required to deliver a world class event. All revenue is invested back in the game to grow cricket. Notably, we have will offer:
· 80,000+ tickets at £20 (over half of the group stage matches)
· 200,000+ tickets at £50 or less
· Child tickets at every match, starting from £6
· Family of 4 for £52
After facing South Africa at The Oval, England will then play ICC Champions Trophy 2017 winners Pakistan at Nottingham on 3 June, Bangladesh at Cardiff on 8 June, the Windies at Southampton 14 June and Afghanistan at Old Trafford on 18 June.
In the all-play-all 10-team format, England will conclude their first-round matches against the 1996 champions Sri Lanka at Headingley on 21 June, then Australia at Lord’s on 25 June, India at Edgbaston on 30 June and New Zealand at Durham on 3 July.
Reigning champions Australia start against qualifiers Afghanistan at Bristol in a day/night fixture on 1 June, the ICC Champions Trophy holders Pakistan will play the 1975 and 1979 ICC Cricket World Cup winners West Indies on 31 May at Trent Bridge in their first fixture while India’s opening game is against South Africa on 5 June at Southampton.
The full schedule can be accessed here
Fans will have the opportunity to be the first to apply for tickets during the Cricket Family Ballot, which opens at 10AM on Tuesday 8 May.
Members of the Cricket Family can pre-register their accounts from Tuesday 1 May in preparation for the ballot, which will remain open until 8pm on Friday 1 June.
Those eligible for the Cricket Family Ballot will receive a specific URL via email in the coming few days.
Ticket prices for each ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 fixture can be found below.
Details about Hospitality packages will be released later this summer on cricketworldcup.com
Register to be part of the Cricket Family Ballot by signing up here ahead of 8 May.
