England’s tour of India OFF as coronavirus pandemic strikes white-ball schedule

England’s white-ball tour of India, due to begin late next month, has become the latest cricket to be postponed due the Covid-19 pandemic.

The side were due to play three T20s and three ODIs in India, in part as preparation for the T20 World Cup in Australia in November.

But with that tournament postponed for a year and the IPL now taking place in the UAE from next month to November, England’s white-ball series will be tagged onto the Test series against India in a multi-format tour that will run from late January until late March.

England’s winter is beginning to take shape. Pandemic pending, they are expected to visit South Africa for a brief white-ball tour in December, then play two Tests in Sri Lanka — delayed from March this year — in January. Then the tour against India will take place, but likely in the UAE due to the situation with the pandemic in India, which has now become the third country to record two million coronavirus cases.

The Test series was due to consist of five matches, but now looks set to be three or four, due to the congested schedule. India are also due to tour England next summer for five Tests.

ECB chief Tom Harrison said: “We are working with other boards to progress the vital task of optimising the international schedules in the challenging circumstances that we have all been having to address.”

It has been suggested that England could tour West Indies or Pakistan after they came here during the pandemic, but such a trip seems unlikely this winter.