ECB denies reports of BCCI asking to tweak schedule for the Test series

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has quashed all the reports of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asking for a change in schedule for the five-match Test series in August-September. The series is scheduled to start on August 4 with the opening match at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

The Lord’s, Headingley, Kennington Oval, and the Old Trafford are the venues for the other four games. In the meantime, the ECB has confirmed that the Test series will go ahead as per schedule. In the Indian and British media, there were talks of rescheduling the Manchester Test from September second week to July fourth week.

It was learned that the BCCI made the request in a quest to complete the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL), which had to be postponed for an indefinite time period because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ECB speaks up on the reports  

“We talk to the BCCI on a regular basis about a wide range of issues especially as we address the challenges of Covid-19, but have had no official request to change dates and are continuing to plan for the five Test series as is scheduled,” an ECB spokesperson was quoted as saying on Thursday, May 20, reported by Cricbuzz.

Back on May 3, the IPL 2021 was a witness to its first COVID-19 cases after Kolkata Knight Riders’ Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive.  In the very next day, the BCCI pulled the plug on the tournament in the wake of the deteriorating scenario in India.

As per reports, the BCCI was thereafter looking for a window in September to finish the remaining games. Though the ECB has denied the reports of BCCI asking for a tweak in the Test series schedule, further developments on the matter remain to be seen.

“The Board of Control for Cricket in India has enquired about the possibility of moving the final Test of the English summer in order to make room to complete the postponed Indian Premier League. Informal discussions have been had between the respective boards as cricket continues to grapple with a schedule ravaged by Covid.

“At this late stage it is hard to see the ECB acceding to any potential change and it is expected to hold its ground,” a report in Times London said.