England men’s cricket team are all set to travel to India for a full-fledged tour of four Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is early 2021.
BCCI on Thursday announced the complete schedule or England’s tour of India where all the matches will be played at just three venues inside a bio-secure bubble between February 9 and March 28.
The newly-constructed Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad stands to be the biggest gainer with a total of seven matches across series. Chennai’s Chepauk and Pune’s stadium are the two other venues.
England’s tour will kickoff with the four-match Test series. The first two will be played in Chennai with the remaining two being played at Ahmedabad’s refurbished Sardar Patel Motera Stadium, which can accommodate 1,10,000 spectators.
The third Test of the series will be a D/N affair. It will be just the second-ever pink-ball Test on Indian soil. The first was played between India and Bangladesh in Kolkata last year, attracting huge crowds every day. However, it’s not yet clear if fans would be allowed during England’s tour.
The Test series will be followed by five T20Is, all to be played in Ahmedabad from March 12 to 20.
The last leg of the tour will feature ODIs and all three matches will be held in Pune from March 23 to 28.
“The BCCI prioritises health and safety of both teams and will leave no stone unturned to make sure that the tour is held adhering to all safety protocols agreed by the BCCI and ECB medical teams,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement.
“Both boards have worked closely to put together an exciting series that promises to provide high octane action between two powerhouses of world cricket. This will be India’s first bilateral series at home since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and the home season will bring back joy to cricket fans,” he said.
No international cricket has been played in India since the T20 series against Sri Lanka in January. A series against South Africa was abruptly cancelled in March 2020 following the coronavirus outbreak, though the South African team had arrived in India.
England were originally to tour India for three T20Is and as many ODIs in September, but that tour was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have been delighted with the planning that has been undertaken by the BCCI to ensure the three venues in Chennai, Ahmadabad and Pune will be ready to host international cricket in a bio-secure environment and look forward to working closely with them over the coming weeks to finalise those plans,” ECB chief executive officer Tom Harrison said.
“The prospect of becoming the first international side to play at the magnificent Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad adds an extra dimension to the tour and I know will be something that is a highlight for both the players and management,” he said.
Before coming to India, England will tour Sri Lanka for a two-Test series. The first Test will commence on January 14-18 while the second Test will begin from January 22-26 at the Galle International Stadium. They are scheduled to depart from Sri Lanka on January 27.
India are scheduled to travel to England next year in August-September to play a five-Test series. The Tests are scheduled to be played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham (August 4-8), Lord’s (August 12-16), Headingley, Leeds (August 25-29), the Kia Oval, London (September 2-6) and Old Trafford, Manchester (September 10-14).
England tour itinerary:
Tests:
1st Test – Feb 5-9, Chennai
2nd Test – Feb 13-17, Chennai
3rd Test – Feb 24-28, Ahmedabad (D/N)
4th Test – Mar 4-8, Ahmedabad
T20Is: All games in Ahmedabad
1st T20I – March 12
2nd T20I – March 14
3rd T20I – March 16
4th T20I – March 18
5th T20I – March 20
ODIs: All games at Pune
1st ODI – March 23
2nd ODI – March 26
3rd ODI – March 28