ngland face an excessive fixture pile up over the following two winters as they give the impression of being to fulfil all commitments affected by Covid-19, such because the postponed ODI collection in South Africa final November.
England’s males are but to see any cricket cancelled outright by the pandemic, resulting in a backlog of fixtures over the following couple of years.
The one present excellent bilateral collection is three ODIs in opposition to South Africa, they usually seem prone to be pushed again to September 2022, shut to 2 years after they had been initially scheduled.
England travelled to Cape City to play three T20s and three ODIs in November, just for the tour to be aborted on the midway stage when the vacationers misplaced confidence within the biosecure bubble at their base on the Winery Resort following constructive assessments for Covid-19 amongst gamers from each groups (England’s had been subsequently proved to be false positives) and resort staff.
The three unplayed ODIs are a part of the ICC’s ODI Tremendous League, which determines qualification for the 2023 World Cup. That event, mixed with broadcast and industrial income for the house aspect, means there’s a dedication that the matches have to be performed, not merely cancelled.
When to play them is just not easy, nonetheless.
There’s a slim risk that they might happen in early 2022, however England’s schedule this coming winter is already packed.
On the finish of the 2021 house summer time, the T20 group will journey to Pakistan and Bangladesh as preparation for the T20 World Cup in India in November. The Take a look at squad then have a five-match Ashes collection straddling Christmas, ending in Perth in mid-January.
The winter finishes with a tour of the Caribbean. First, the T20 squad (probably with out Take a look at stars, as a result of the Ashes will end simply days earlier than departure for the Caribbean) play a five-match collection in late January and February, earlier than a three-Take a look at collection in March.
With Australian borders prone to stay closed for a while, the West Indies collection is prone to be the earliest alternative for England followers to observe their group abroad.
The venues for the West Indies tour are prone to be introduced within the coming days, whereas the Ashes schedule and venues might be introduced early subsequent month.
It’s doable {that a} go to to South Africa for the ODIs may very well be crow-barred in round that packed schedule, however the autumn of 2022 is extra probably.
That won’t be easy both, although. Already round that point, England are scheduled to play six white-ball internationals (three in every format) in Australia, which might act as neat preparation for the T20 World Cup -which was delayed from Autumn 2020 by the pandemic – in the identical nation.
England are additionally due in Pakistan at the same time for his or her first full tour of the nation since 2005 (three Checks plus white-ball internationals). The whistle-stop tour this October (which additionally contains double headers with the Girls’s groups) is a “thanks tour” after Pakistan travelled to England final summer time, because the pandemic was raging.
The likeliest end result at this stage seems to be that England tour South Africa in late September, earlier than an extended stint in Australia for the bilateral collection and World Cup, with the Pakistan tour pushed again, maybe to after Christmas.
It’s understood that there’s actual dedication from the ECB to make sure that England tour Pakistan in full, and that they’re in early discussions with the PCB over precisely the way it all suits.
The ICC’s Future Excursions Programme cycle begins afresh in early 2023, however is unlikely to be launched within the close to future.
England schedule 2021/22:
- T20s in Pakistan
- T20s in Bangladesh
- T20 World Cup in India
- Checks in Australia
- T20s in West Indies
- Checks in West Indies
From late 2022:
- (Seemingly) ODIs in South Africa
- T20s and ODIs in Australia
- T20 World Cup in Australia
- Checks and white-ball internationals in Pakistan