THIS week’s reaffirmation of Headingley as one of Test cricket’s elite venues should not be under-estimated – it is one of the most significant announcements of the sporting year.
Though the famous ground was already in line to host an Ashes encounter in 2019 exactly a decade after its last red ball clash between England and Australia, there were no guarantees about the 2023 series because of the emergence of new venues.
Yet the fact that Headingley has now been confirmed by the England and Wales Cricket Board as one of five venues is testament to the hard work undertaken by Yorkshire County Cricket Club chief executive Mark Arthur, and many others, to upgrade the facilities.
Not only will the prospect of two Test matches with Australia help the club to clear its historic debts, but these two matches – and a raft of other international and T20 matches secured by Headingley – will be genuine money-spinners for the wider Yorkshire economy.
