Durham CCC to host three World Cup games next year, including England clash

England’s clash against the Blackcaps is the last of the three matches to be staged at the Riverside, on Wednesday, July 3.

Sri Lanka and South Africa will go head to head at the Emirates Riverside on Friday, June 28, and the Sri Lankans return three days later on Monday, July 1, when they play the West Indies.

David Harker, Chief Executive of Durham CCC said: “We are excited to be hosting the 2019 Cricket World Cup at the Riverside.

“We are looking forward to welcoming fans from across the World as well as the England, South Africa, West Indies and Sri Lanka teams.

“We are delighted to be hosting another major England game in Durham. The competition will provide an excellent showcase of cricket at the highest level with some of the World’s best players on show.

“The games will provide a world class entertainment experience for cricket fans, sports fans and family days out. The competition will once again provide global coverage for Chester-le-Street, Durham and the wider region.”

England will open the tournament at The Oval on May 30 when they will take on South Africa, while Australia will launch their title defence on June 1 against the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier champions Afghanistan in a day/night match in Bristol.

Eleven venues will be used in the 46-day tournament in which each side will play the other once in a single-league format with the top four sides after 45 matches progressing to the semi-finals.

World Cup bosses have insisted “infrastructure costs” were at the heart of the decision to overlook the London Stadium for the 2019 tournament.

Tournament organisers spent more than 18 months examining the merits of using the former Olympic Stadium in their roster of grounds, but eventually baulked at the cost.