If baseball is America’s national pastime then cricket is England’s summer obsession. During the warmer months of the year up and down the country talk turns to bat and ball, parks and green spaces are filled with people playing the game, and fans pack out stadiums to watch world-class cricket.
Watching a game of professional cricket comes in many forms, from five-day international Test series and World Cups to one-day matches and evening Twenty20 games.
Taking in an amateur game at grassroots level is also a fantastic experience, allowing you to get closer to the sport and even get involved if you are lucky.
If you want to find out more about one of the oldest sports on the globe you're in the right place. Read on to find out more about the England cricket team, the cricketing schedule, where to watch cricket in England, and how to get tickets to a game.
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England cricket team
It’s a great time to watch the England national cricket team in action, with the side committed to an attacking and entertaining style of play under the Test head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes that has been dubbed "Bazball".
This brand of cricket may have seen England only draw the 2023 Ashes series earlier this summer, allowing Australia to retain the ashes, but England’s approach and the engrossing nature of the five-match series drew many admirers.
England is looking to retain the Cricket World Cup they won in 2019 when the team travels this winter to India, which will see slightly different personnel take part in One Day International (ODI) matches.
Then next summer England’s Twenty20 team will head out to the West Indies and United States to contest the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The England women’s cricket team has enjoyed record-breaking crowds throughout this summer, with the highs of a drawn Ashes series against Australia contrasting with the lows of a shock T20 series defeat by Sri Lanka.
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England cricket schedule
The England men’s team is not set to play again in England until early summer 2024. Here are the fixtures confirmed in their home schedule so far:
May 2024 – T20 series
- Wednesday May 22, 2024: England v Pakistan (Headingley, Leeds)
- Saturday May 25, 2024: England v Pakistan (Edgbaston, Birmingham)
- Tuesday May 28, 2024: England v Pakistan (Sophia Gardens, Cardiff)
- Thursday May 30, 2024: England v Pakistan (Oval, London)
July 2024 – Test series
- Wednesday July 10, 2024: England v West Indies (Lord’s, St John’s Wood, London)
- Thursday July 18, 2024: England v West Indies (Trent Bridge, Nottingham)
- Friday July 26, 2024: England v West Indies (Edgbaston, Birmingham)
August & September 2024 - Test series
- Wednesday August 21, 2024: England v Sri Lanka (Old Trafford, Manchester)
- Thursday August 29, 2024: England v Sri Lanka (Lord’s, St John’s Wood, London)
- Friday September 6, 2024: England v Sri Lanka (Oval, London)
September 2024 - T20 series
- Wednesday September 11, 2024: England v Australia (Ageas Bowl, Southampton)
- Friday September 13, 2024: England v Australia (Sophia Gardens, Cardiff)
- Sunday September 15, 2024: England v Australia (Old Trafford, Manchester)
September 2024 - ODI series
- Thursday September 19, 2024: England v Australia (Trent Bridge, Nottingham)
- Saturday September 21, 2024: England v Australia (Headingley, Leeds)
- Tuesday September 24, 2024: England v Australia (Seat Unique Riverside, Chester-le-Street)
- Friday September 27, 2024: England v Australia (Lord’s, St John’s Wood)
- Sunday September 29, 2024: England v Australia (Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol)
Where to watch cricket in England?
As you can see, you can watch the England national team in almost every major city in the country in 2024, but there are countless other opportunities to take in a domestic game live.
The County Championship takes place between April and September every year, with 18 clubs representing historic counties pit against each other in first-class cricket.
The T20 Blast—the top-level Twenty20 competition in England and Wales—runs annually from May to July, while the One-Day Cup usually takes place from August into September with matches contested over 50 overs per side.
On weekends during summer you can find amateur matches taking place in parks, commons and green spaces across the country.
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How do you get tickets for a cricket game?
You can purchase tickets for England men’s and women’s matches via the ECB website, through the ballot.
It’s also worth signing up for an account at We Are England Cricket Supporters. Domestic match tickets are available on each team’s website.
The ECB are staunchly against ticket touting (illicit selling) so we advise buying your tickets from an authorized source.
Ticket for cricket
You can easily catch a train to any of England's top cricket stadiums when you book with Trainline. Download our App and find out how simple it is to book and store train e-tickets on your phone.
Header Image Credit: Getty Images, Laurence J Griffiths.