London
Ireland have been asked to bring forward their one-day series in England this summer to replace Australia as a rejigged international schedule begins to take shape
Ireland were due to play three ODIs in September to end the English international summer but they have now been offered the chance to play at the end of July and beginning of August instead.
It means Australia will be offered a series in September giving more time for international travel restrictions to be eased.
The matches against Ireland will be played behind closed doors. They have been given the option to train at Trent Bridge but all their matches will be played at one venue, likely to be Emirates Old Trafford.
It means England will start their summer with a three-Test series against West Indies from July 8. The plan is to then play Ireland before going straight into a series of three Tests and three T20s against Pakistan starting on Aug 5, as revealed by Telegraph Sport last week.
The Australia series is in major doubt ahead due to the severity of the lockdown in Australia which is why the ECB will push it back in the summer to give the situation enough time to resolve before giving up on the series entirely.
Cricket in England is suspended until July 1, but Tom Harrison, the board’s chief executive, told MPs on Tuesday the ECB will look to restart behind closed doors as soon as possible if they are given the green light by the government.
The plan is for the England players to pick up their training by the end of this month if social distancing measures allow.
Two counties, Surrey and Lancashire, have not furloughed their playing staff so could provide England with some match practice in the first week of July before the first Test.
“A fast bowler will need between six to seven weeks [of training] in lockdown before he is fit and ready for an international match,” said Harrison. “That is just the training element. The logistical element of bring overseas teams over and [giving them the] same level of preparation … It is a complex scenario.”—AFP
