College chosen to host Under-19 showdowns

THREE 50 over International under 19 matches will be played at the Cheltenham Cricket Festival this summer.

On July 26, England will face India, with India playing Bangladesh the following day, then on July 28, England meet Bangladesh.

Gloucestershire youngster Ben Charlesworth could be included in the England squad having recently been named in the squad of 15 taking part of the tour in Bangladesh.

The team, led by former county star Jon Lewis, will compete in all formats across the tour, with one T20, three ODIS and two Test matches between January 27 and February 18.

The Festival will now contain seven fixtures and 13 days of cricket over a two-week period at the College.

Gloucestershire chief executive Will Brown said: “We are delighted to have these three very exciting fixtures included in the Cheltenham Cricket Festival calendar this year.

“Bangladesh are a strong side but England v India at any level is always been one of the most exciting matches in the calendar and the opportunity to see the next Joe Root or Virat Kohli making their mark is an unique one.

“Three matches in as many days will be a real test for the youngsters but we know that the enthusiastic festival crowd will bring the best out of them.

“With Ben Charlesworth already a feature of the current squad and other Gloucestershire players like Greg Willows queuing up for their opportunity there is a strong chance that we will be able to see a Gloucestershire player in action.”