Although primarily intended as a touring team, for several years in the 1990s they played one match in England at the start of each season: between 1992 and 1995 against the previous season's
county champion and in 1996 and 1997 against a Rest of England team. England A also played two
List A games against the full
Sri Lankan touring side in England in 1991. Previously a second tier team known as
"England B" played one game against the
Pakistanis in 1982 and had made a full tour of
Sri Lanka in 1985/86. The first full tour by a team named
"England A" was to
Zimbabwe in 1989/90, and consisted of three
first-class matches and three
50-over games. On this occasion England A played against the full
Zimbabwe side, but on subsequent tours their most important opponents have usually been the equivalent A teams of the countries they have been touring. However, England A has toured Australia but had played a match against their
Australian A team counterparts until 2021. They also often play matches against state or provincial sides, and in 2000/01 England A participated in the
Busta Cup, the
West Indian domestic first-class competition, finishing in third place out of the eight teams taking part. In 2003/04 England A took part in
India's
Duleep Trophy competition, but failed to progress beyond the group stages after losing both their matches. There were no England A matches played in the period between these two tours. ==England Lions==