BCCI To Urge ECB To Arrange Warm-Up Matches For Indian Team Ahead Of 5-Match Test Series Against England: Reports

BCCI will be speaking to England and Wales Cricket Board to arrange a couple of warm-up games before the start of the India vs England five-match Test series in August 2021. After the completion of the ICC World Test Championship final, the Indian team will have to wait for six weeks before the start of the Test series against England, which commences on August 4 with the first Test.

Usually, a team plays at least one warm-up game before the start of any big Test series. However, due to the Covid protocols, the scheduling of warm-up matches has become a tough job. Players have to go under two weeks of quarantine before any series under the protocols, which has made it difficult for Cricket Boards to arrange practice warm-up matches ahead of the bilateral Test series.

BCCI To Urge ECB To Schedule Warm-Up Matches For Indian Team

According to reports, BCCI will urge ECB to arrange two warm-up practice matches before the start of the India vs England Test series. BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal told The Indian Express that Jay Shah will speak to ECB over the matter.

“Jay (Shah) will be speaking to ECB and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tom Harrison to make an arrangement for two warm-up games before the five-Test match series. The secretary felt that the BCCI should request the ECB to give at least two warm-up games so that players can get in some good match practice before the series starts”, Dhumal told The Indian Express.

Ahead of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, India did not play any warm-up matches. The Virat Kohli-led side played one intra-squad match before the one-off final, which India eventually lost to New Zealand by 8 wickets. Now, the Indian squad will stay in England for more than one month, without participating in any international games in the month of July.

India and England will lock horns in 5 Test matches that will start with the first game on August 4 in Nottingham. The Indian team will be out of quarantine for three weeks from now. On July 14, they will again go under the quarantine process for two weeks before the start of the Test series.