Historic County's Lord's Presence Diminishes
Middlesex County Cricket Club is set to stage a mere two home Twenty20 Blast fixtures at Lord's Cricket Ground during the 2026 season. This decision marks a further decline in the club's historic presence at the world-renowned venue, often called the Home of Cricket.
The club, which has been a tenant at Lord's since 1864, traditionally renews a 12-month rental agreement with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) annually. However, the creation of the Hundred and the significant growth of women's cricket have dramatically increased demand for the hallowed turf, forcing Middlesex to seek alternative home grounds with greater frequency.
Fixture Shift and Member Discontent
While the full county schedule for 2026 is still pending confirmation, it has been agreed that only two of Middlesex's seven scheduled T20 Blast home games will be played at Lord's. This represents a sharp decrease from the four matches hosted there in 2024.
In recent years, the county has increasingly utilised out-grounds to accommodate the shortfall. These have included Merchant Taylors’ School, with Radlett Cricket Club and Uxbridge also being used previously. A controversial move in 2024 saw two Blast games relocated to Chelmsford in Essex, a decision that proved financially successful but was deeply unpopular with the club's membership. This experiment is not expected to be repeated, with future displaced matches likely to be moved to other smaller grounds within Middlesex, such as Richmond Cricket Club.
Packed Calendar Forces MCC's Hand
The primary driver behind the reduction is an exceptionally busy international calendar for 2026. The situation has been exacerbated by England hosting the women's T20 World Cup, for which Lord's is scheduled to stage four matches, including the final.
Compounding the issue, the T20 Blast's group stages have been moved forward next year to conclude before the start of the Hundred in August. This creates a direct scheduling clash with both the women's World Cup and a men's Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord's. The MCC is understood to have received requests to stage 73 fixtures against only 60 available match days, highlighting the intense pressure on the ground.
Lord's will also host a women's Test match for the first time next summer, featuring England and India, in addition to two men's Tests and a one-day international. Despite the changes, club sources indicate that the MCC's priority remains maximising the amount of first-class cricket at Lord's for its members and those of Middlesex. It is anticipated that the allocation of Blast games for Middlesex will return to normal levels in 2027.
