England in town for Ashes warm- up
TOWNSVILLE will host an Ashes tour match between England and a Cricket Australia XI at Tony Ireland Stadium from November 15- 18.
The match will be England’s final warm- up before the Ashes Test series opener at the Gabba starting November 23, and will feature a full- strength English squad.
Queensland Cricket officials and Mayor Jenny Hill will today announce the historic four- day fixture with a press conference featuring Australian Test batsman Matt Renshaw.
November’s clash will be the first time Townsville has hosted an Ashes tour game, and the first time a senior English team has visited Townsville since 1962 when the MCC played Queensland Country.
England’s under- 19 team also played matches at Tony Ireland Stadium during the under- 19 ICC World Cup.
“To get a proper Ashes squad here will be great for the region,” former Townsville player and Queensland Bulls bowler Luke Feldman said recently.
“Tony Ireland Stadium is a class facility and the boys thought it was a first class ground when they were here for the Sheffield Shield match at the end of last year.”
The Riverway venue is one of only three ICC accredited venues outside of a capital city in Australia, and has successfully hosted ODIs between PNG, Hong Kong and Ireland, and last season’s Sheffield Shield match between the Bulls and Warriors.