London: The first Test between India and England that will be played will be their 1000th Test match.
England’s first ever Test match was played when a team arranged and led by James Lillywhite played Australia between March 15 and March 19, 1877.
That was also the first ever Test match to be played between any two teams. England have won 357 Tests and lost 297 Tests with 345 ending in draws.
The ICC congratulated England on the occasion. “On behalf of the cricket family, I want to congratulate England on their 1000th men’s Test match, the first country to reach this milestone. I wish England all the best in this historic match and may it continue to produce players and performances that inspire the following of Test cricket, the oldest and most demanding format of the game,” said ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar.
To commemorate the occasion, Jeff Crowe, former New Zealand captain and member of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, on behalf of the ICC, will present a silver plaque to England and Wales Cricket Board Chairman Mr Colin Graves before the start of the Test.
England have the better head-to-head record against India 43 and losing 25 out of a total of 117 Tests played between the two countries. But, at the start of this series, England are ranked fifth on the ICC Test rankings while India are first.
