The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced Durham County Cricket Club has secured international cricket for the North East until 2031.

The club’s Seat Unique Riverside stadium in Chester-le-Street will host both men’s and women’s international cricket matches for the next eight years.

In an additional boost for the club, it has been allocated more games than its current agreement, which ends next year, securing two England men’s games and one England women’s game in 2026 and 2028.

Major cricketing nations such as Australia and India will bring their global superstars to the region.

Allocations have been announced for seven years, rather than the previous five-year period, to give venues greater certainty and to encourage sustainable investment in facilities.

Durham Cricket chief executive, Tim Bostock said: “We are absolutely delighted to have secured international cricket for the foreseeable future.

“The additional games allocated to us will help the club’s revenue and be a further boost to the local economy with thousands of spectators pouring money into Chester-le-Street and the surrounding area for the next eight years.

“It also supports our plans for development of the ground and on-site facilities.

“We have provided a stream of players to the England’s men’s squads and with three players in the current Ashes squad, and a pipeline of prospects coming through the first team and academy, we are looking forward to seeing Durham players play international cricket at their home ground for years to come.

“The guarantee of women’s games at the venue is particularly pleasing as we have invested a lot of time and resources into developing the women’s game, from recreational level through to our women’s pathways in the academy. To be able to come and see the world’s best women’s players will hopefully inspire more girls to participate in cricket at all levels.”

The club is hoping to add more international cricket to the schedule as it will also be bidding to host a number of games in the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2026 and the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2030, following its successful hosting of three sell out games during the 2019 World Cup.

Durham are hosting two England fixtures this summer with limited tickets remaining for the men’s T20 international against New Zealand on August 30. England women play Sri Lanka in a ODI on September 9. For more information and tickets, see www.durhamcricket.co.uk.