England's busy 2025 schedule forces ODI series against Ireland to September

England’s players will embark on a relentless stretch of cricket until the following March, including an Ashes series that will be pivotal for Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s Bazball project

PHOTO: AFP

England’s packed 2025 cricket schedule has prompted a shift in their three-match ODI series against Ireland, moving it from June to September.

According to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (2023-27), the series was initially set to take place amid a busy international summer. However, to accommodate the intense schedule, the series has now been moved to late September.

Both the England and Ireland cricket boards have expressed satisfaction with this adjustment. For England, the rescheduling offers some much-needed breathing space during their Test series against India. Additionally, this change might allow England to field a stronger squad for the series against Ireland.

Ireland, on the other hand, welcomes England’s commitment to their first three-match series in the country. Despite the less-than-ideal late-season dates, particularly concerning weather, Malahide, just north of Dublin, is expected to be the likely venue, promising to attract traveling England fans.

The shift underscores the challenges for any coach stepping in to replace the recently-deposed Matthew Mott as the head of England’s white-ball teams. The crammed schedule means the new coach, like Mott, will struggle to secure multi-format players for bilateral series crucial for building cohesion ahead of the World Cup.

The schedule change highlights the difficulty of fitting everything into England’s extraordinarily busy 2025. Final details of the schedule are expected to be announced in August.

Starting from May next year, England’s players will embark on a relentless stretch of cricket until the following March, including an Ashes series that will be pivotal for Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s Bazball project.