England’s hectic 2025 schedule has seen a three-match ODI series away to Ireland shunted from June to September.
According to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (2023-27), England were due to squeeze a short trip to Ireland into the middle of a packed 2025 international summer. But the series has been moved from June, in the middle of England’s Test series against India, to late September.
Both parties appear happy with this arrangement. England, because it provides some breathing space in mid-summer and could even allow them to use a stronger squad for the series.
Ireland will be relieved because England are actually committed to coming for their first three-match series in the country. While the late-season dates are not ideal (especially from a weather perspective), Malahide, just north of Dublin, is seen as the likeliest venue, and is certain to be attractive to travelling England fans.
The move highlights the difficulty facing any coach coming in to replace the recently-deposed Matthew Mott in charge of England’s white-ball teams. The packed schedule makes it unlikely that the new coach will have any more access than Mott to multi-format players for the bilateral series that can be so crucial for building cohesion ahead of a World Cup.
The schedule change reveals the difficulty of fitting everything into an extraordinarily busy year for England in 2025. The schedule is being finalised and is expected to be announced in August. From May next year, England’s players will be playing relentlessly until the following March, including an Ashes series that will define Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s Bazball project.
The home summer begins with a one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge. This is England’s first Test meeting with Zimbabwe since the recently-retired Jimmy Anderson’s debut series in 2003, and to help make it happen the ECB will take the unusual step of paying Zimbabwe a tour fee. The series is likely to clash with the latter stages of the Indian Premier League, which could affect the availability of some England players.
The World Test Championship final will take place at Lord’s in early June but, barring a remarkable run of results, England will not play a part in that once more.
England then face India in five Tests that will run along similar dates to the Ashes in 2023. It is likely to be over by early August at the latest, at which point the Hundred runs begins.
England also have a packed white-ball international schedule. In June, West Indies visit for three ODIs and three T20s (the former moved forward from September) and after the Hundred, South Africa also visit for three ODIs and T20s.
England will need to carefully manage their resources across the summer or risk their players arriving in Australia for the Ashes exhausted. While the five Tests in Australia – the schedule for which is due to be announced n the next month – are the only red-ball cricket in the 2025/26, England also have a busy white-ball schedule. In October 2025, they are due in New Zealand for three ODIs and three T20s, before travelling to Sri Lanka after the Ashes for three more ODIs and three T20s. After that, in February and March, they have a T20 World Cup in India.
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