India named as England's opponents in 2004 NatWest Challenge

Just when players and coaches are calling for a cut in the amount of international cricket, the ECB has announced that another tournament, the NatWest Challenge between England and India, will take place next September, with the opening game to be held at Trent Bridge.

The tournament starts on September 1 and consists of three one-day internationals which will be crammed into the few spare days before the ICC Champions Trophy, which starts a week later on Sept 8.

While that may not be such good news for the players, David Collier, Nottinghamshire's chief executive, was much happier about the announcement. "We are delighted that Trent Bridge has been awarded a second one-day international in 2004 which reflects the huge demand for these matches in the East Midlands," he said. "There are less than 1000 tickets remaining for our NatWest Series game on June 27 when England play West Indies."

He added: "The NatWest Challenge match versus India will give those spectators who have been unable to obtain tickets another opportunity to watch a one-day international at Trent Bridge in 2004."

The second match is at The Oval on Sept 2, while the last one is at Lord's two days later.