England Can Host West Indies, Pakistan, Australia and Ireland Between July-September in Front of Empty Stadiums Amid Coronavirus Crisis
West Indies' tour of England for three-match Test series has been postponed for now. The bilateral series was scheduled to take place in June. However, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) can still host the Caribbean team apart from Pakistan, Australia and Ireland between July and September albeit in front of empty stadiums due to coronavirus pandemic.
West Indies' tour of England for three-match Test series has been postponed for now. The bilateral series was scheduled to take place in June. However, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) can still host the Caribbean team apart from Pakistan, Australia and Ireland between July and September albeit in front of empty stadiums due to coronavirus pandemic. As per a report in The Sun, ECB could play matches behind closed doors only after testing and isolating around 300 players, staff and broadcasters for weeks. West Indies Postpone Three-Test Tour of England in June 2020 Due to COVID-19 Pandemic.
"We want to play three Tests against West Indies and three against Pakistan and we've developed a schedule that gives us the ability to do that with a following wind. People would also love to see the Aussies here playing white-ball cricket against our World Cup-winning team. That would be brilliant," ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said.
"We're starting to get comfortable with the idea that there won't be crowds this summer. Safety is our No 1 priority. These are just plans at the moment and we're working with the Government. I'm writing weekly to players and I've told them any cricket this summer will look and feel very different to anything they've played before," he added. No Cricket in England Till July 1 Due to COVID-19; ECB Revises Summer Calendar.
Apart from three Test matches against Windies, England are scheduled to play three T20Is and three ODIs against Australia from July 03 to July 16. As per FTP (Future Tour Programme) England will then host Pakistan for three Tests and as many T20Is in July-August-September. England's home season then ends with three ODIs against Ireland in September. If things improve, ECB is likely to reschedule the dates of all the home fixtures.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 25, 2020 12:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).