Following the announcement today from the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the schedule of matches for the Vitality Blast at Lord’s in 2026 has been confirmed.

Middlesex’s men and women will both play two Vitality Blast matches at Lord’s next summer, with double header days taking place on Friday 22 May and Sunday 24 May at the Home of Cricket.

Kent Spitfires and Surrey will be the visitors to Lord’s in the men’s Vitality Blast competition, whilst reigning Vitality Blast Women’s League 2 champions Middlesex will welcome Kent and Leicestershire Foxes.

The men’s match against Kent earlier this year sadly fell victim to rain at the halfway stage after both Tom Helm and Luke Hollman had starred with the ball for Middlesex.

The London Derby with Surrey was a close affair, with the visitors winning by eight runs. Ryan Higgins’ 4 for 33 was the pick of the bowling for Middlesex but despite a lower-order dash, the hosts couldn’t overturn Surrey’s 189.

Middlesex’s women got their Blast season off to a flying start at Lord’s back in May when they defeated Sussex by eight wickets, with Anaya Patel’s 4 for 18 and Riva Pindoria’s unbeaten 50 the highlights.

A near-perfect South Group campaign saw them qualify for Finals Day at Northampton, where they dispatched Leicestershire in the semi-final, and Yorkshire in the final, both by a 10-wicket margin, to become the inaugural Vitality Blast Women’s League 2 champions.

MCC has been working closely with Middlesex throughout the fixture planning process and the reduction in men’s Vitality Blast matches at Lord’s next summer is due to the increased number of international matches taking place at the Ground.

The addition of the Women’s Rothesay Test Match between England and India in June, and the hosting of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in June and early July, has increased the major match schedule for next summer at a period of the summer when the Vitality Blast takes place. The Men’s Rothesay Test Match between England and New Zealand also takes place during the group stages of the competition.

Fixtures in the Rothesay County Championship, and the Metro Bank One Day Cup, will be announced later this week. 

Vitality Blast Fixtures – 2026

Friday 22 May – Middlesex v Kent (Vitality Blast Women’s League 2)

Friday 22 May – Middlesex v Kent Spitfires (Vitality Blast Men’s Competition – South Group)

Sunday 24 May – Middlesex v Leicestershire Foxes (Vitality Blast Women’s League 2)

Sunday 24 May – Middlesex v Surrey (Vitality Blast Men’s Competition – South Group)