ENGLAND will host Ireland for the first time in an international fixture next summer – with the two countries set to contest two Royal London One-Day Internationals at Bristol and Lord’s.
The two-match series will create cricketing history as Ireland have never before taken on England in this country.
The fixtures will kick off the 2017 international season with Bristol’s Brightside Ground hosting the first encounter on Friday, May 5 and Lord’s staging the second match on Sunday, May 7.
It is something of a homecoming for Irish captain William Porterfield who honed his cricketing skills in the city, while current Ireland head coach John Bracewell, an adopted Bristolian, spent several years as director of cricket for Gloucestershire.
ECB director of England Cricket Andrew Strauss, who led England in Ireland’s inaugural ODI back in 2006, said: “We’ve been hugely impressed by the major strides Irish cricket has made in the last decade and all their players will be savouring the opportunity to play a full one-day international at the home of cricket for the first time, as well as taking on England at Bristol.
“Ireland’s past performances in the ICC Cricket World Cups have shown just how competitive they can be in the 50-over format; they will definitely provide our one-day squad with a tough test ahead of next summer’s ICC Champions Trophy."
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