English cricket season opener moved to Abu Dhabi

The traditional curtain raiser to the English cricket season between the county champions and the Marylebone Cricket Club has been moved to Abu Dhabi next year.
The four-day match will be contested by Durham under lights and using pink cricket balls.

The fixture will run from March 25-April 1 at the Zayed International Cricket Stadium.

Pointing to the use of floodlights, John Stephenson, the MCC's head of cricket, said Friday: "If this match is a success, it could help to reinvigorate test cricket."

Stephenson said that, because of poor weather, staging the match at Lord's at the start of April is "far too early in the year to play meaningful cricket."

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