Once the Twenty20 World Cup is over, the cricket fans around the world will be in for a treat, because the next three to four months will feature the best sides in the world, playing together in non-stop cricket action. Be it Australia, England, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Pakistan, West Indies, New Zealand, Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, the cricket fever is here to stay!
South Africa will stay back after the Twenty20 World Cup, even if they fail to qualify for the semi finals. They will take on West Indies in a two-match Twenty20 series where matches will be played on May 19 and 20th, at Antigua’s revamped Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. The T20 series will be followed by a five-match ODI series that will begin on May 22 and conclude on June 3, with the five matches played at three picturesque stadiums of Antigua, Dominica and Jamaica. Jamaica, St Kitts, and Barbados will then host the three Test matches in June, where Chris Gayle and Graeme Smith will vie for top honors.
In the meantime, New Zealand and Sri Lanka will play a three match series of Twenty20 Internationals at Lauderhill, Florida in the United States between May 20 and May 23. Meanwhile, Bangladesh will travel to England after their disappointing Twenty20 World Cup to play two test matches - one at Lord's starting May 27 and the other one at Old Trafford from June 4.
Starting in May, Zimbabwe, and a second string Indian team, led by Suresh Raina, will battle Sri Lanka for supremacy in a tri-series. The matches of the triangular series will be played in Bulawayo and Harare from May 28 to June 9. India and Sri Lanka will then travel to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup, which begins June 15, and concludes June 24. Bangladesh and Pakistan will also take part in the event, which will be staged at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. India and Sri Lanka will then take part in a three-match Test series in July, which will be followed by an ODI series also featuring New Zealand, which will end on August 15.
World champions Australia will take on Ireland in a one day international on June 17 at Dublin, as they begin their tour of England, to play both England and Pakistan. Five days later, they will meet archrivals England in the first of the five onedayers, which the two teams will play, followed by two Twenty20 matches against Pakistan at Edgbaston, Birmingham on July 5 and 6.
The first overseas Test between Pakistan and Australia will be hosted at Lord’s, London from July 17 while Headingley, Leeds will play hosts to the second and final test of the series from July 21. Both the matches are being played in England after Australia’s refusal to tour Pakistan following the terrorist attack against the Sri Lankan side on March 3 last year in Lahore.
From 29 July, Pakistan will play England in their first test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham while the green shirts would return to Edgbaston, Birmingham for the second match of the series, starting on August 6. The third and fourth test of the series will be played from August 18 at The Oval and from August 26 at Lords. Pakistan will conclude their tour with a couple of Twenty20 matches and a five one-day series in September.
Pakistan’s tour of England will finish on September 22, after which there will be a month’s rest for all the cricket playing nations. Let us hope that not many players are injured during the busy cricket season, and may the best team win!
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