The postponed Test series decider between England and India has been rescheduled and will now be held at Edgbaston in July next year.
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The final Test of the five-match Test series between England and India from September earlier this year, has been rescheduled to July 2022. The match, which was due to take place at Emirates Old Trafford, was called off when India were unable to field a team due to fears of a further increase in the number of COVID-19 cases inside the camp. The series will resume with India leading 2-1. The final Test match will now be played from July 1 at Edgbaston instead of Manchester. This decision has been taken following an agreement between the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“Due to the complexities in the schedule, the fixture cannot be staged at Emirates Old Trafford owing to clashes with pre-planned events at the venue, which will leave insufficient time to prepare a Test pitch. Instead, Emirates Old Trafford will now host the second LV= Insurance Test against South Africa next summer, starting on August 25, 2022. This match was previously due to take place at Edgbaston. Given the rescheduling of the fifth Test, the Vitality IT20 Series and Royal London Series between England and India will now start six days later than originally planned. The IT20 series will begin on 7 July at Ageas Bowl with Edgbaston and Trent Bridge hosting the 2nd and 3rd games of the series respectively on 9 and 10 July,” the ECB explained in a media release.
The T20I and ODI series between England and India have been pushed back by six days. The T20I series will begin instead on July 7 at Ageas Bowl, while the ODI series will now start on July 12 at the Oval.
“We are very pleased that we have reached an agreement with BCCI to creating a fitting end to what has been a brilliant series so far. I’m very grateful to all the venues involved for the cooperation they’ve shown in allowing us to reschedule this match. I’d also like to thank Cricket South Africa for their support and understanding to allow these changes to be possible. We would like to apologise again to fans for the disruption and disappointment of September events. Know it was a day that so many had planned long in advance. We recognise that accommodating this extra match means a tighter schedule for the white ball series. Will continue to manage our players’ welfare and workloads through next year while we also continue to seek the optimum schedule for fans, players and our partners across the game,” said ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah expressed his delight following the rightful conclusion being provided for the Test series.
“I am delighted that the England-India Test series will now have its rightful conclusion. The four Test matches were riveting, and we needed a fitting finale. The BCCI recognizes and respects the traditional form of the game and is also mindful of its role and obligations towards fellow Board Members. In the last two months, both BCCI and the ECB have been engaged in discussions and our efforts were aimed at finding a suitable window. I thank the ECB for their understanding and patience in finding an amicable solution,” he stated.
