Durham snubbed by ECB

London - A pair of England matches against India and Australia scheduled to be held in Durham over the next two years have been reallocated.

India were due to play a Twenty20 fixture against England at Durham in 2014, while Australia had been set to visit north-east England to face the host nation in a ODI in 2015.

But Durham chiefs made it known they would be willing to forego the fixtures after a review for their major match policy following poor ticket sales for some internationals.

The England and Wales Cricket Board have therefore decided to move the India match to Edgbaston, the Birmingham venue which staged the recent Champions Trophy final between the teams which India won.

England's meeting with arch rivals Australia will now take place at Old Trafford in Manchester.

"They are attractive fixtures, but how lucrative they are is another matter," David Harker, Durham's group chief executive said.

"We decided to be cautious over what we could expect to sell to the public when the matches were reasonably close together."

Durham will still stage an Ashes Test between England and Australia for the first time later this year, following that with limited overs matches against Sri Lanka in 2014 and New Zealand in 2015 before Sri Lanka return for a Test in 2016.

"Today's announcement is in line with Durham's long-term business plan and means that the club will host an optimal number of major matches over the four year period whilst allowing the North East region to continue to benefit from regular international cricket," ECB chief executive David Collier said.

"England have a fantastic record at Edgbaston and we're thrilled to welcome them back to Birmingham, where they'll certainly be looking to avenge their recent ICC Champions Trophy Final defeat when the they meet India again in this NatWest Series T20 International," Warwickshire chief executive Colin Povey added.

"The Champions Trophy showcased these facilities on the world's biggest stage and being allocated this match is a welcome reward to the fans who gave such great support and the fantastic efforts from the Edgbaston team throughout the tournament."