In these days, in which England is celebrating being back on the throne with the best club football teams in Europe, it might be hard to concentrate on other sports, but it is important to remember that on the same day that Arsenal will play against Chelsea in the Europe League final in Baku in Azerbaijan (what a strange place for two London teams to play), it will be time for the Cricket World Cup opening in London.
As we are used to, the opening match of the tournament is attended by the hosting country, that is England. And who will England play against? South Africa!
England – South Africa at The Oval in London
The match between England and South Africa will be played at The Oval in London, a stadium located in the very southern parts of London. Normally the pitch is used by Surrey County Cricket Club, but on May 30th, this will be the venue which will host the opening of the Cricket World Cup in 2019.
The venue has a long history, and it has been the home of the Surrey County Cricket Club since 1845. The venue will be used for quite a lot of matches during the cricket world cup, and together with The Lord’s they will be the stadiums in London which will be used during the world cup. And let us tell you, the match to be played at these stadiums are among the most important… not only the opening match, but also one of the semi-finals and the grand final itself on July 14th.
England are the big favorites to win the tournament itself, and South Africa shouldn’t cause them much trouble. The hardest opponents of England in the tournament will be India and Australia (if the bookmakers tell us the truth), but in a tournament anything can happen, and with the pressure from the home crowd, it will be interesting to see if England will manage to live up to the expectations.
The rest of England’s matches during the cricket world cup
There will be a total of 10 teams taking part in the world cup, and England will play against every single one of them. Here you can see the different matches in which England will play and where they will be.
- May 30th, England – South Africa, The Oval
- June 3rd, England – Pakistan, Trent Bridge (Nottingham)
- June 8th, England – Bangladesh, Cardiff
- June 14th, England – West Indies, Southampton
- June 18th, England – Afghanistan, Manchester
- June 21, England – Sri Lanka, Leeds
- June 25, England – Australia, London (The Lord’s)
- June 30, England – India, Birmingham
- July 3, England – New Zealand, Chester-le-street
As you can see, England will play one match in every city in which there is a venue during the tournament, making sure that all of England get a chance to cheer for their heroes. But, if they make it to the semi-finals, they will either play at Old Trafford in Manchester or in Birmingham, before they return to The Lord’s in London for the cricket world cup final.
The most interesting matches for England will be the match against Australia at The Lord’s in London on June 25th, and of course the match against India in Birmingham on June 30th.
Are you going to follow the Cricket World Cup? Are you coming to London to see any of the cricket matches? Have a great time! For more information about the popular attractions and sights in London, look around here in our London Guide.
