MCC has today announced that England and Nottinghamshire fast bowler Stuart Broad will captain the team in the annual Champion County Match, which takes place in Dubai next month.

County Champions Surrey, who won Division One of the Specsavers County Championship last summer, will be MCC’s opponents in the traditional curtain raiser, which will be played in the United Arab Emirates and will be played between Sunday 24th March until Wednesday 27th March.

Broad, one of only two Englishmen to have taken over 400 Test wickets, will lead MCC following his involvement in the current winter Test series between England and the West Indies in the Caribbean.

The 32 year-old has a special place in Lord’s history, with inclusions on the Honours Board for five and ten-wicket hauls in Test matches, as well as his 169 with the bat against Pakistan in 2010.

The remainder of the MCC squad for the match will be confirmed by the Club in due course.

Last year’s match was played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. MCC defeated the 2017 County Champions Essex by an innings and 34 runs, as centuries from Sam Hain and Dom Bess helped them to a strong first innings total of 408 for 8 declared. Bess also starred with a six-wicket haul as MCC sealed victory.

John Stephenson, Assistant Secretary (Cricket) at MCC, said:

“We are thrilled that Stuart has agreed to captain the side for the Champion County match against Surrey. He is not only a player of the very highest class, but his experience of over 100 Test matches will be invaluable to the younger players in the squad, and I am sure that they will be eager to learn from one of England’s greatest ever bowlers.

“Surrey were undoubtedly the best side in last season’s County Championship and have an extremely strong squad, so it will be a tough challenge for Stuart and his side but one I am sure they will relish.”