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LONDON, June 4: England will host a Test match starting on a Wednesday for the first time next year after announcing the fixtures for the home series against New Zealand and South Africa.
The third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston will start on Wednesday July 30.
“One of the scheduling parameters we had to deal with was that the 2008 season has to end in early September to enable both England and South Africa the opportunity to travel to the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan,” John Carr, director of England Cricket, said in a statement on Monday.
“The 2008 season will include a Wednesday start as well as four Thursday starts and two Friday starts for Test matches. In a busy summer we feel that this sequence gives the players the maximum opportunity for rest and recuperation.”
England's first opponents will be New Zealand, whom they face in a three-Test series, starting at Lord's on May 15. A Twenty20 match against the same opponents, on June 13, is the prelude to a five-match one-day series, before the arrival of South Africa for four Tests, starting at Lord's on July 10.
England will also play against South Africa in a one-off Twenty20 match at Chester-le-Street on Aug 20, followed by five more one-day games, the last of which takes place under floodlights in Cardiff on Sept 3.
2008 schedule:
England v New Zealand:
May 15-19: First Test (Lord’s).
May 23-27: Second Test (Old Trafford).
June 5-9: Third Test (Trent Bridge).
June 13: Twenty20 International (Old Trafford).
June 15: First One-day International (Chester-le-Street).
June 18: Second One-day International (Edgbaston).
June 21: Third One-day International (Bristol).
June 25: Fourth One-day International (The Oval).
June 28: Fifth One-day International (Lord’s).
England v South Africa:
July 10-14: First Test (Lord’s).
July 18-22: Second Test (Headingley).
July 30-Aug 3: Third Test (Edgbaston).
Aug 7-11: Fourth Test (The Oval).
Aug 20: Twenty20 International (Chester-le-Street).
Aug 22: First One-day International (Headingley, D/N).
Aug 26: Second One-day International (Trent Bridge, D/N).
Aug 29: Third One-day International (The Oval).
Aug 31: Fourth One-day International (Lord’s).
Sept 3: Fifth One-day International (Cardiff, D/N).—Agencies
