The five-Test series between India and England could be rejigged or bought forward by a week in order to accommodate the remaining matches of the IPL 2021.
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The five-Test series between India and England could reportedly undergo changes. The reason – completion of the remainder of IPL 2021. According to an ESPNCricinfo report, the BCCI has put a request to the ECB to bring forward the start and the end of the five-Test series by a week. This means that the first Test could start by the end of July. The final Test might finish in the first week of September. The reason apparently is that the BCCI would want a bigger window to finish the remaining games of IPL 2021.
India will play England in five Tests, starting from August 4 in Trent Bridge. The final Test will finish on September 14 in Old Trafford. If the series is rescheduled, the final Test will end on September 7. This will give the BCCI three weeks to complete the 31 remaining games of IPL 2021.
IPL 2021 was postponed indefinitely as India suffered from the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said the IPL cannot be held in India. The UAE is seen as the likely venue.
The England and Australia players have said that they will not be available for the second half of the Indian Premier League as they will have international commitments. England will travel to Pakistan and Bangladesh while Australia will prepare for the Ashes. In addition, the ICC World T20 preparations will begin from October to November.
There are doubts over whether the ICC World T20 2021 will be held in India as the country continues to see cases in excess of 250,000 for the last one month.
However, if the Test schedule is rejigged, it will cause plenty of havoc in the England summer. July to August is the period of The Hundred. The new format was postponed in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The venues for The Hundred will be at the Test venues where India will be playing. If the ECB reschedule the Tests, then The Hundred will be impacted. In addition, venue rescheduling, hotel bookings, bio-bubble arrangements, broadcast schedules, and ticket sales for the rescheduled series could be a logistical nightmare.
The ESPNCricinfo report stated that the England Cricket Board has not yet got an official request from the BCCI. The IPL 2021 has only a very small window for completion. It can happen either before the ICC World T20 or after the tournament. If the Test series is not rescheduled, then IPL 2021 might not be completed this year.
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