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.
2019 Ashes series
The 2019 Ashes Series (named Specsavers Ashes Series for sponsorship reasons) is an upcoming series of Test cricket matches to be played between England and Australia for The Ashes. The venues are Edgbaston, Lord's, Headingley, Old Trafford and The Oval. Australia are the defending holders of the Ashes going into the series, having won in 2017–18. The series will begin later than previous series in England and Wales due to the 2019 Cricket World Cup taking place in England and Wales between May and July.