Some of England and Australia’s key men could be set to go head-to-head on the opening night of next summer’s inaugural The Hundred competition, after the fixtures were revealed on Tuesday.
The ECB’s new 100-ball-per-side tournament will get underway at The Oval on Friday, 17 July next year, as the London-based Oval Invincibles host Welsh Fire.
The Invincibles roster includes England’s World Cup winning opener Jason Roy, while his regular partner during that competition, Jonny Bairstow, will line-up for the opposition.
Bairstow’s side may feature Aussie paceman Mitchell Starc and star batsman Steve Smith, who were both picked up as overseas selections in last month’s draft, while Roy will be joined by Surrey and England team-mates Tom and Sam Curran.
To add to the narrative, England and Australia are due to meet in the final match of a three-game ODI series in Bristol the day before, though organisers will hope that game does not impact the availability of the big names.
"We want to launch The Hundred with a bang and a big crowd at The Oval on a Friday night should do that for us," said an ECB spokesman.
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