Townsville’s Riverway Stadium to host first matches of 2022-23 summer of cricket schedule

The summer of Australian cricket will kick off in Townsville, giving regional fans a chance to watch some of the best players in the world on their doorstep.

THE summer of Australian cricket will kick off in Townsville, giving regional fans a chance to watch some of the best players in the world on their doorstep.

The exciting news was announced as part of the action-packed 2022-23 international schedule for Australia’s world champion women’s and men’s teams.

The schedule shows all three matches of the Men’s Dettol ODI Series against Zimbabwe will be played at Townsville’s Riverway Stadium in August and September to kick off the massive year of touring.

Aerial shots around Townsville, Riverway Tony Ireland Stadium

Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said it was thrilling news following “arguably the most successful” summer in cricket history last year.

Australia v India ODI

“After two years of being impacted by the pandemic, the 2022-23 home summer will be an especially busy one for the Australian men’s team as we honour our commitments to the ICC’s Future Tours Program,” Mr Hockley said.

“This provides important opportunities to progress towards ICC World Test Championship Final qualification as well as build up for the ICC Men’s One-Day World Cup in India in 2023.”

Following three matches in Townsville, the ODI Series against New Zealand will also be taken to Cairns, and the T20 Series against the West Indies will be played at the Gold Coast to round out the regional markets.

Australian cricketer Pat Cummins (C) celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu during the third one-day international (ODI) cricket match between India and Australia at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association International Cricket Stadium, in Ranchi on March 8, 2019. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP)

The schedule contains more days of international cricket than ever before with six teams touring Australia, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup being hosted on home soil and overseas tours for both the women’s and men’s teams.

“Both our teams have the opportunity to defend their T20 World Cup titles, the men’s team on home soil and the women’s team in South Africa, as our exceptional players inspire the next generation of cricketers in the shortest format of the game,” Mr Hockley said.

“Many thanks again to our broadcasters, partners, touring teams and everyone involved in cricket across the country for ensuring we can host such an exciting summer of cricket and most of all we can’t wait to welcome back fans to our world-class venues to watch our world-leading players.”

For access to priority tickets and pre-sale ticket information to Australia matches, fans can register their details at www.cricket.com.au/acf.

Originally published as Townsville’s Riverway Stadium to host first matches of 2022-23 summer of cricket schedule