This Tuesday (21st September), it was announced that Trent Bridge will host three England International matches in 2023.
Continuing the ground’s important role in England’s men’s matches, the schedule includes the fourth and final match of the Vitality IT20 Series against New Zealand and the second of three One Day Internationals against Ireland.
These matches will take place on Tuesday 5 September and Saturday 23 September 2023, respectively.
Potentially even more exciting than this, though, is the game that takes place earlier in the summer; the only Test match of the Women’s Ashes series against Australia.
Scheduled to take place between Thursday 22 and Monday 26 June 2023, the match will be the first-ever Women’s Test in England to take place over five days.
It is also the first time that England Women will have played at Trent Bridge since 2000, as they have tended to play at smaller county grounds such as Derby, Hove and Taunton in recent years.
The decision by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) alongside Cricket Australia here is a powerful one.
Sure, it’s not Lord’s, Edgbaston or The Oval, but placing such a momentous Women’s Test match – and potential money-spinner – at the 17,500-capacity Trent Bridge gives Heather Knight’s team unprecedented exposure.
And what of the stars who could light up the historic Nottingham ground?
Well, Test form is scarce in Women’s cricket, but if the only Test that England played against South Africa this summer is anything to go off, there could be a glorious return for one player.
Nat Sciver knows Trent Bridge well as the Trent Rockets’ captain in The Hundred, and off the back of her 169 not out in that Test at Taunton, is a sure-fire middle-order weapon.
Much of the England team is settled, with Knight, Tammy Beaumont and Sophia Dunkley the key batters, and Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross, Lauren Bell and Issy Wong forming the bowling attack.
The latter duo are newbies, but even in the incredible shadows of the retired Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole have entered the squad with ease.
For the all-conquering Australia, meanwhile, their squad will contain the elite of the game.
In captain Meg Lanning, the world’s number one ODI all-rounder Ellyse Perry, number one ODI batter Alyssa Healy and number one IT20 batter Beth Mooney, Australia are truly stacked.
Their bowling roster of Tahlia McGrath, Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt and the Trent Rockets’ Alana King will also be a constant threat.
So, with this massive draw for cricket fans, Trent Bridge will have the eyes of the world next June.
Temporarily, it will also hold a very firm gaze for the England Men’s games, with a potentially series-deciding IT20 match against New Zealand – who England will have played in the T20 World Cup this autumn.
The Kiwis are always tough customers, and with the series falling halfway in between this year’s World Cup and the next edition in 2024, both teams may well be in transition.
An ODI against Ireland will have England fans expecting a win, but the Irish have been improving recently and will have more chances to impress against higher-ranked nations.
Their roster mainly consists of domestic players, with ones to look out for including 23-year-old Curtis Campher, 22-year-old Harry Tector and the limited-overs legend Paul Stirling.
In all three matches hosted at Trent Bridge, there are guaranteed to be big talking points.
For cricket fans in the area, this is a real dream and a true privilege for Nottingham.
Feature Image Credit: Will Hugall