Cricket in England
Cricket in England is one of the most popular sports in the country and is known to have been played in England since the 16th century. The Marylebone Cricket Club, based at Lords, developed the modern rules of play and conduct.There are eighteen professional county clubs, seventeen of them in England and one in Wales. All eighteen counties are named after, and were originally representative of, historic counties. These clubs are heavily dependent on subsidies from the England and Wales Cricket Board, which makes its money from television and endorsement contracts and attendances at international matches. The English cricket season traditionally starts at the beginning of April and runs though to the second half of September although in recent years counties have played pre season friendly matches at the very end of March.
English cricket team in the West Indies in 2018–19
The England cricket team are currently touring the West Indies between January and March 2019 to play three Tests, five One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. The series includes England's first Test match in Saint Lucia, when they play at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium. It will also be England's first tour to the West Indies to play all three formats of international cricket since they visited in 2009. The winner of the Test series will be awarded the Wisden Trophy. The ODI fixtures are part of both teams' preparation for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.