NEW DELHI: With legends like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin bowing out of the longest format of the sport, India tour of England 2025 marks the daybreak of a brand new period.Shubman Gill takes the reins as captain, with Rishabh Pant as his deputy, going through the formidable problem of English circumstances.Go Past The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!For England, this collection is a chance to say dominance in a vital red-ball season that features the all-important Ashes later this yr.
As 5 historic venues get able to host this high-voltage collection, listed here are some fascinating and lesser-known info about every floor.
1st Check: Headingley, Leeds | June 20–24
In 1932, Headingley unusually hosted a soccer match throughout a break within the cricket season. The smooth summer time pitch couldn’t stand up to the tough play, leaving the turf badly broken.When a County Championship match adopted quickly after, gamers confronted poor footing and uneven bounce, sparking widespread complaints and criticism.
Leeds, England (Photograph by George Wooden/Getty Photos)
The incident led Yorkshire County Cricket Membership and the MCC to implement stricter guidelines towards multi-sport use of cricket grounds.Although dual-use venues had been extra frequent throughout wartime, this episode strengthened the necessity to shield cricket pitches year-round, notably throughout the season.It turned a turning level in making certain that main cricket venues had been preserved solely for cricket throughout their main enjoying months.
2nd Check: Edgbaston, Birmingham | July 2–6
Edgbaston turned the primary cricket floor in England to put in everlasting floodlights in 1997, paving the way in which for day-night matches.Considered one of its most iconic sections, the Eric Hollies Stand, is understood for its electrical ambiance, but in addition carries historic weight.
Birmingham, England. (Photograph by Stu Forster/Getty Photos)
It’s named after the bowler Eric Hollies, who famously dismissed the legendary Don Bradman for a duck in his closing Check innings, stopping him from ending his profession with an ideal batting common of 100.
third Check: The Lord’s, London | July 10–14
Lord’s is known not only for its heritage. The bottom has a 2.5-metre slope from one facet to the opposite, which might considerably affect seam and swing bowling.Many gamers say it takes a couple of overs to regulate to the incline, particularly when working uphill or downhill.
Lords Cricket Floor in London, England. (Photograph by Tom Shaw/Getty Photos)
Including to this, beneath the enduring Pavilion lies one of many world’s oldest cricket libraries. It homes an unlimited assortment of cricket literature, together with uncommon books, scorecards, and paperwork relationship again to the 1700s.
4th Check: Outdated Trafford, Manchester | July 23–27
Outdated Trafford hosted the primary Ashes Check on English soil in 1884. Nevertheless, its most iconic reminiscence got here in 1956, when England’s Jim Laker produced a legendary bowling efficiency, taking 19 wickets for simply 90 runs towards Australia.
Outdated Trafford in Manchester, England. (Photograph by Alex Davidson/Getty Photos)
It stays the most effective match figures in Check historical past and a document that has by no means been matched.Laker’s feat is immortalised on the floor, with a commemorative plaque on the dressing room balcony.
fifth Check: The Kia Oval , London | July 31 – August 4
Earlier than Lord’s turned the religious house of cricket, The Oval earned its place in historical past by internet hosting England’s first-ever house Check match in 1880, towards Australia.
The Oval in London, England. (Photograph by Ben Hoskins/Getty Photos for Surrey CCC)
It was the start of England’s proud Check custom. For greater than a century, the Oval’s skyline was outlined by its towering gasworks, the well-known industrial backdrop that turned as iconic because the cricket performed under it.Although now dismantled, the gasworks stay on in cricketing folklore, typically seen in previous match footage and images.