Durham Gets 2013 Ashes Match
Durham will host an Ashes Test for the first time in 2013 after the England and Wales Cricket Board revealed the allocation of home matches for the next seven years.
The Riverside and The Oval are the only two venues so far definitely confirmed for the series against Australia.
Cardiff, Edgbaston, Headingley and the Rose Bowl will stage one-day matches between the teams, with Trent Bridge hosting two Twenty20 games.
An additional three Tests and three more one-day internationals have yet to be allocated.
County champions Durham’s Chester-le-Street home first staged Test cricket in 2003 and England have won all four Test matches held there, including this year’s Test against West Indies.
By the time of the next Ashes series in England, the Riverside will have a capacity of 20,000, and club chairman Clive Leach said the news was the culmination of years of hard work.
‘The completion of the stadium over the coming years, which will increase capacity to 20,000 as well as providing an onsite hotel, will offer spectators the ultimate cricket experience in what will be a truly world class set up,’ he added.
‘For an Ashes Test match to be played at Riverside will be a huge milestone for Durham County Cricket Club and is testament to the hard work of all involved.’
