Champion County match: Essex to play MCC in Sri Lanka in March
- Published
County champions Essex will play the MCC in Sri Lanka in the domestic season's traditional curtain-raiser.
Retired Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara is set to captain the MCC in the Champion County match at the Galle International Stadium from 24-27 March.
Essex were crowned champions for the second time in three seasons in September and also won the T20 Blast.
The four-day match will be played between England's two Tests against Sri Lanka in Galle and Colombo.
The Champion County fixture was played at Lord's until 2010 before it was moved abroad, initially to Abu Dhabi.
Essex played the MCC at Kensington Oval in Barbados in 2018, while Surrey drew with MCC in Dubai in March.
The MCC's World Cricket committee will also meet in Galle in March. Former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Sangakkara became the club's first overseas president at the start of October.