ECB Wishes to Host Australia, Ireland and Pakistan after West Indies Team

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is planning on different ways to revive the game of cricket. It has been more than two months since a cricket match was organized anywhere in the world in the view of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, the ECB has now started preparations for restarting the game while keeping in mind the safety of players and support staff. 

The England cricket team is expecting to play a Test series against West Indies in England from July 8. Two venues Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford have been selected to host the Indies team as both have on-site hotels. The first test match will be played from July 8, followed by two test matches on July 16 and July 24. Though both the cricket boards have given a go-ahead to the tour, many things will depend on getting clearance from the UK government for hosting the live matches. Also, ECB is planning to host the matches behind closed doors while following the safety guidelines by the International Cricket Council (ICC). 

ECB is trying to work out a schedule for England team

After the West Indies tour, ECB is hoping to host Australia, Pakistan, and Ireland as well to compensate for all the loss. The board is trying to work out a schedule in order to have a shortened summer season this year. Recently, Steve Elworthy, ECB’s director of special projects talked about ECB on Sky Sports Cricket Podcast’s The Cricket Show. 

Steve said, “It’s incredibly challenging but, at the same time, a very rewarding project. What we are trying to achieve here is something that has never been done before. There has been a huge amount of work done. The West Indies are the first team to arrive here. But, at the same time, we hope to have Australia, Pakistan, and Ireland come this summer,” 

He added, “We have been speaking to them. We’ve been in weekly communication with all of them but, in this particular case, more extensively with the West Indies because their Test matches are about five weeks away,”