THE ENGLAND AND Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the full schedule for Australia’s 2013 Ashes tour and the preceding ICC Champions Trophy.
Australia begin the tour with four-day warm-up matches against Somerset and Worcestershire before the first Test begins at Trent Bridge on 14 July.
The second Test takes place at Lord’s from 18 July , with the third Test at Old Trafford from 1 August.
The Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground will host an Ashes Test for the first time from 9 August, followed by the fifth and final Test at the Kia Oval from 21 August.
England have won the last two Ashes series, having most recently defeated Australia 3-1 in 2010/11. Following the Ashes, Australia will play two Twenty20 internationals and five one-day internationals against the hosts, plus a 50-over match against Scotland.
The group stage of the ICC Champions Trophy, featuring the world’s eight highest-ranked one-day international teams, will start on 6 June, with the final at Edgbaston on June 23.
“The prospect of England defending the Ashes on home soil (and) the world’s top eight teams competing in the ICC Champions Trophy will provide rich pickings for cricket fans next summer,” ECB chief executive David Collier said.
Australia have won the last two ICC Champions Trophies, having defeated New Zealand in 2009 final and the West Indies in 2006. The ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales will be the last edition of the tournament.
