South Africa, West Indies confirmed for England's longest season

London: England announced Friday their 2017 home international fixture programme with tours by South Africa and the West Indies included in a busy schedule that will also see England staging the ICC Champions Trophy in June.

In addition, England will also play host to the women`s World Cup from June 26 to July 3.

England will begin their 2017 home season with two one-day internationals against Ireland at Bristol and Lord`s on May 5 and 7 -- the first time they have met the Irish on English soil.

Later in May, they face South Africa in three ODIs which will serve as warm-up fixtures for the Champions Trophy -- a tournament for the world`s top eight teams in 50-over cricket -- which begins with England`s match against Bangladesh at The Oval on June 1.

Once the Champions Trophy, which finishes with a final at The Oval on June 18, is over, England and South Africa will play three Twenty20s -- including the first England men`s international at Taunton since the 1983 World Cup.

England then have a gruelling schedule of seven Tests in just under 10 weeks, four against South Africa starting at Lord`s on July 6 before a three-match series with the West Indies commencing on August 17.

There has been speculation the first match of the West Indies series, at Edgbaston, could be England`s inaugural home day/night Test but the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has not confirmed its status.

Once the Tests are finished, England will play the the Wrest Indies in a one-off Twenty20 and five-match ODI series, with the English international season concluding at southern county Hampshire`s Ageas Bowl headquarters on September 29.

"With three different international teams coming here next summer and this country playing host to two major ICC global events -- the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Women`s World Cup -- there will be a feast of international cricket to excite us in England and Wales," said ECB chief executive Tom Harrison.

"Both the international and the domestic schedule will have a different shape to previous years. And the early season block for the Royal London One-Day (50-over) Cup -- with a new mid-season date for its Lord`s final -- July 1 -- will support both England`s ICC Champions Trophy preparations and our longer term planning for the ICC Cricket World Cup in (England) in 2019.

"It will also allow players to focus skills on the white-ball game and help more people to understand the structure of the season."

2017 international cricket fixtures in England

England v Ireland

May 05: 1st ODI, Bristol

May 07: 2nd ODI, Lord`s

England v South Africa

May 24: 1st ODI, Headingley (d/n)

May 27: 2nd ODI, Ageas Bowl

May 29: 3rd ODI, Lord`s

Jun 21: 1st T20, Ageas Bowl (f)

Jun 23: 2nd T20, Taunton

Jun 25: 3rd T20, Cardiff

Jul 06-10: 1ST TEST, Lord`s

Jul 14-18: 2ND TEST, Trent Bridge

Jul 27-31: 3RD TEST, The Oval

Aug 04-08: 4TH TEST, Old Trafford

England v West Indies

Aug 17-21: 1ST TEST, Edgbaston

Aug 25-29: 2ND TEST, Headingley

Sep 07-11: 3RD TEST, Lord`s

Sep 16: T20, Chester-le-Street (f)

Sep 19: 1st ODI, Old Trafford (d/n)

Sep 21: 2nd ODI, Trent Bridge (d/n)

Sep 24: 3rd ODI, Bristol

Sep 27: 4th ODI, The Oval (d/n)

Sep 29: 5th ODI, Ageas Bowl (d/n)

ICC Champions Trophy

Jun 01-Jun 18: Matches at The Oval, Cardiff and Edgbaston

Group A: Australia, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh

Group B: India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Pakistan

Note: d/n = day/night, f = floodlit