England's Fixture List.

I've just been flicking through the list of 2013 fixtures and it seems England are playing New Zealand home and away. Now I knew they were touring NZ but isn't it a little odd to play them again so soon after in England?

Even more incredible (I feel like I perhaps should have known) is that having played the Ashes against Australia this summer which I did know about, I've noticed that they will also be contested in Australia in the Winter.

Presumably most of you are aware of this but what is the reason for playing them without the usual 18/30mth gap?

I believe its because England want a break pre world cup.

Hibbz wrote:I've just been flicking through the list of 2013 fixtures and it seems England are playing New Zealand home and away. Now I knew they were touring NZ but isn't it a little odd to play them again so soon after in England?

Even more incredible (I feel like I perhaps should have known) is that having played the Ashes against Australia this summer which I did know about, I've noticed that they will also be contested in Australia in the Winter.

Presumably most of you are aware of this but what is the reason for playing them without the usual 18/30mth gap?

We played New Zealand away and home in 2008 as well, back-to-back. I don't why though.

As for the Ashes, it's been moved so that the previously scheduled 2014/15 Ashes down under is now moved back a year so it doesn't clash with the World Cup. That means we have 2 ashes series in a row (2013 and 2013/14), then England will host the Ashes again in 2015 (as opposed to 2017) and then the next series down under will be in 2017/18. Then the 4 year cycle will continue from there.

Thanks guys.

From a personal point of view I'm hoping it won't prove to be overkill for Ashes which I have far more interest in than the World Cup.

It has, as been said to move the Ashes away from the World Cup. Add to that a fair sprinkling of greed and you have the ridiculous never ending Ashes schedule they have come up with.

We often seem to play lesser sides home and away in close proximity. Get them out of the way so we can have some more Ashes Tests!

Officially its about not having the Ashes in the same winter as a World Cup.

But that could easily be down without this overkill. Simply moving 2014/15 to 2015/16 would do the trick, requiring no change in the hosting of series in England. Its also messing up the rest of our schedule, meaning we don't tour SA until '15/'16 (6 years after last tour of SA), and don't host Pakistan again until 2016 (6 years after last tour).

I'm majorly concerned that this will make the Ashes less special. 10 Ashes Tests over 6 months will be too much for the media to give the normal special attention to, and the team losing in 2013 will know they don't have to wait long to put things right. I'd also note that once we move onto the new schedule, in 2019 the Ashes and World Cup (both in England) will again be in the same year.

Shelsey93 wrote:Officially its about not having the Ashes in the same winter as a World Cup.

But that could easily be down without this overkill. Simply moving 2014/15 to 2015/16 would do the trick, requiring no change in the hosting of series in England. Its also messing up the rest of our schedule, meaning we don't tour SA until '15/'16 (6 years after last tour of SA), and don't host Pakistan again until 2016 (6 years after last tour).

I'm majorly concerned that this will make the Ashes less special. 10 Ashes Tests over 6 months will be too much for the media to give the normal special attention to, and the team losing in 2013 will know they don't have to wait long to put things right. I'd also note that once we move onto the new schedule, in 2019 the Ashes and World Cup (both in England) will again be in the same year.

No Tests in the WC winter is a bit worrying too. I can understand not playing too many but no Tests at all in 14/15 seems over conservative to me. Hopefully, the SA tour will be moved ahead to 14/15.

I understand moving the tour forward a year to prepare for the WC but why do we play them again in the summer of 15, 2 summers after the upcoming series?

liverbnz wrote:I understand moving the tour forward a year to prepare for the WC but why do we play them again in the summer of 15, 2 summers after the upcoming series?

Once you move the series forward, if you didn't move an English series forward too you would end up on a cycle where you always have back-to-back series.

But, as I say, all this madness could have been avoided if the series in Oz was moved back a year rather than forward.

But why move it forward 2 years? Sorry if In being daft here but surely Oz should be visiting England in 2016 and then hosting in 2017? That 2015 tour has been brought forward 2 years hasn't it?

The problem with that option is that you'd end up with home Ashes series in Olympic years, which isn't good for media attention, or even the attention of cricket diehards.

Ah right, thanks.