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 English cricket season
The 12th edition of the Cricket World Cup will take place at 11 grounds across England and Wales between 30 May and 14 July, with the final scheduled to take place at Lord's. A total of 48 matches will be played in the tournament which will feature 10 international sides which qualified for the finals, with each team playing two round-robin matches with the top four sides qualifying for the two semi-final stage to determine the finalists. It is the fifth time that the Cricket World Cup will be held in the British Isles, following the 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999 World Cups.