I have heard a few potential explanations about why Warwickshire have decided (or have been forced) to host a match at Worcester. An explanation which is highly plausible is that playing a match at an outground would not be possible due to the groundstaff and stewards required working on the small matter of a World Cup semi-final at Edgbaston. Then again, there would be plenty of ways to get around the situation, as the County Championship match won’t clash with the semi-final, and surely playing at an outground wouldn’t require the match to be staffed by the same people who work at Edgbaston.

A less plausible explanation is that Warwickshire have decided to play at New Road in order to encourage Worcester-based supporters to support the Edgbaston-based side when The 100 starts.

I think the reason why Edgbaston seems to have been made unavailable is that I think I read that the ground will be on standby to host the World Cup final if weather (or any other reason) prevents the match being completed at Lord’s. The consensus is that the 1999 World Cup painted England in a bad light, so the last thing the 2019 tournament needs would be dramas in completing the final, which may explain why Edgbaston and the staff who work there are being kept on standby.