THE ENGLAND and Wales cricket Board has confirmed that The Rose Bowl will host the first Twenty20 international between England and Australia next year.
The Daily Echo reported last Saturday that the inaugural international Twenty20 match was expected to be staged at the four-year-old Southampton venue.
England and Australia will play their Twenty20 match on Monday, June 13 - two days after The Rose Bowl hosts a 50 overs NatWest Series warm-up match between England and a Hampshire XI.
It is another big coup for the Rose Bowl, which hosts its second one-day international on July 8, when New Zealand and the West Indies play the last of the group games in this year's NatWest Series.
Hampshire don't host a NatWest Series match next year.
Chairman Rod Bransgrove said: "We're delighted to be hosting the first Twenty20 international between the two biggest rivals on the planet.
"We know that Twenty20 has got massive potential after the huge success of last year and this announcement keeps us where we want to be - at the pioneering end of international cricket."
England will also play at The Rose Bowl on June 11 - against a Hampshire XI.
Bransgrove added: "That will be a fun occasion - we'll probably bolster the side with a few former overseas pros, like Nixon McLean, Neil Johnson and Simon Katich.
"It will be a really good way for England to warm up for the NatWest Series."
Bransgrove also wants permanent floodlights at The Rose Bowl by 2006.
Sussex and Essex are the only counties that currently have permanent lights and Derbyshire soon will.
But Bransgrove added: "We want world class floodlights here, the sort used for day-night matches in South Africa and Australia."
Rain and bad light meant that third-placed Hampshire only managed to bowl 10.4 overs on the first day of their crucial county championship match against fourth-placed Yorkshire at The Rose Bowl yesterday.
But Chris Tremlett still managed to take his championship wickets tally to 31 for the season by removing stand-in Yorkshire captain Matthew Wood in his second over.
Wood, skippering Yorkshire in the absence of the hamstrung Craig White, won the toss but was soon heading back to the pavilion after edging a lifting ball from Tremlett to Nic Pothas in the third over, after play finally began at 3.30pm.
Fit-again Dimi Mascarenhas gifted Yorkshire four runs in overthrows and did not bowl yesterday as the visitors closed on 34-1.
ENGLAND SCHEDULE 2005
npower Test Series v Bangladesh
Thu 26- Mon 30 May, 1st Test v Bangladesh, Lord's
Fri 3-Tue 7 June, 2nd Test v Bangladesh, Durham
NatWest Series warm-up match
Sat 11 June, England v Hampshire, Rose Bowl
NatWest International Twenty20 match
Mon 13 June, England v Australia, Rose Bowl
The NatWest Series
Thu 16 June, England v Bangladesh, The Brit Oval
Sat 18 June, Australia v Bangladesh, Cardiff
Sun 19 June, England v Australia, Bristol
Tue 21 June, England v Bangladesh (D/N), Trent Bridge
Thu 23 June, England v Australia (D/N), Durham
Sat 25 June, Australia v Bangladesh, Old Trafford
Sun 26 June, England v Bangladesh, Headingley
Tue 28 June, England v Australia (D/N), Edgbaston
Thu 30 June, Australia v Bangladesh, Canterbury
Sat 2 July, Final, Lord's
The NatWest Challenge
Thu 7 July, England v Australia, Headingley
Sun 10 July, England v Australia, Lord's
Tue 12 July, England v Australia, The Brit Oval
npower Test Series v Australia
21-25 July, 1st Test v Australia, Lord's
4-8 Aug, 2nd Test v Australia, Edgbaston
11-15 Aug, 3rd Test v Australia, Old Trafford
25-29 Aug, 4th Test v Australia, Trent Bridge
8-12 Sept, 5th Test v Australia, Brit Oval
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