England to host India in five Tests next year

LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced a provisional home schedule for 2021 on Wednesday with a five-match Test series against India set to headline the English summer.

Meanwhile, white-ball series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan are scheduled throughout June and July, with fixtures also due to take place at Durham, Edgbaston, Bristol and Cardiff.

The first Test against India begins on Aug 4-8 at Trent Bridge. The final Test is scheduled to be held at Old Trafford from Sept 10. Other Tests are at Lord’s, Headingley and The Oval.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka to play white-ball series in England

While Sri Lanka will play three One-day Internationals (ODIs) from June 29, Pakistan are slated to visit for three ODIs and as many T20s from July 8.

Pakistan will the one-dayers at Cardiff (July 8), Lord’s (July 10) and Edgbaston (July 13), while the T20s are at Trent Bridge (July 16), Headingley (July 1*0 and Old Trafford (July 20).

England were the first side to invite teams after the Covid-19 hiatus this year, with matches held in bio-secure bubbles without fans but the ECB hopes to have spectators return to stadiums with general sale tickets available in January.

“Next year we’ve got another big international programme to look forward to, with the thrill of a five-test series against India as the centrepiece,” ECB CEO Tom Harrison said in a statement. “While Covid means there’s still a great deal of uncertainty, we really hope to be able to welcome fans back into the grounds safely next year to bring that unique atmosphere to stadia across the country.”

The England women’s team also plans to host South Africa and New Zealand while the Visually Impaired team takes on Australia in a limited-overs series in August.