England cricket tour of Bangladesh postponed

DHAKA: England’s cricket tour of Bangladesh for September-October has been postponed until 2023, the two countries said Tuesday as both struggled with the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The nations’ cricket boards said they had “mutually decided” to delay the three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals.

The postponement makes it possible for players from both teams to take part in the Indian Premier League, which resumes in the United Arab Emirates on September 19.

The cash-rich IPL was suspended in May as India was hit by a massive Covid wave and the pandemic affected cricket tours around the world.

England are expected to play Pakistan in two T20 matches in October, with the T20 World Cup starting on October 17 in the UAE.

“With all the challenges of Covid and a packed cricket calendar, both boards agreed that the best approach was to reschedule the tour,” said an English board official.

Cricket teams around the world are facing the pressure of intense scheduling and Covid disruptions.

England star Ben Stokes’ decision to take an indefinite break from cricket because of mental health concerns has, in part, been blamed on a packed tour schedule.

England will go to Bangladesh in the first two weeks of March 2023 to play the one-day games and T20s in Dhaka and Chittagong.