Hampshire will discover whether The Ageas Bowl has been awarded a 2019 Ashes Test in the next 24 hours.

Tomorrow the England and Wales Cricket Board’s Major Matches Group will reveal its decision, the announcement having originally been scheduled for this afternoon.

Hampshire will also find out other matches they have been allocated during a three-year period that includes the 2017 Champions Trophy and 2019 World Cup.

But if the Ageas Bowl is denied an Ashes Test for the third time – having missed out when the 2013 and 2015 matches were allocated three years ago – a plethora of one-day internationals will be scant consolation.

The Ageas Bowl hosted its first Test against Sri Lanka in 2011 and made a success of India’s visit in July.

Its third Test will be its first following completion of the Hilton hotel, which is on schedule to be opened in May. But competition is fierce and there has been a lengthy consultation process following Hampshire’s bid to host one of the five Ashes Tests scheduled for 2019.

There are effectively only two up for grabs as Yorkshire and Surrey have long-term staging agreements and Lord’s is guaranteed one.

So the Ageas Bowl is up against the likes of Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, and Old Trafford, as well as Durham and Cardiff.

Earlier this year, Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove, pictured above, said: “It’s harsh, but all the other new grounds have been granted this one way or the other.

“It’s no secret I think this ground warrants and deserves an Ashes Test match. It’s a burden being the only ground in this country which has never been awarded an Ashes Test match.

“That’s a monkey I want off our back – that’s what we’re working towards.

“It’s the ultimate accreditation, it’s what we all look for and what we’re all pitching for.”

Lord’s, Trent Bridge and the Oval were all allocated two Ashes Tests for 2013/15 while Old Trafford and Durham’s Riverside Stadium hosted one last year, the latter for the first time.

Cardiff will host its second Ashes Test in three series next year, while Edgbaston gets its first since 2009. “We haven’t been particularly fortunate or lucky in previous allocations but maybe we haven’t demonstrated to the extent we can now what we can produce,” added Bransgrove.