ENGvsIND: ECB accepted BCCI request for warm-up matches before actual Test series.
ENGvsIND: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday announced that the cricket board has accepted the request from their Indian counterpart for a couple of warm-up matches before they head out to lock horns against England in Nottingham to kickstart the five matches test series.
The BCCI earlier requested ECB to organise a couple of warm-up games as a build-up for the upcoming India-England test series, however, the ECB turned down the request citing challenges posed by the global pandemic.
“We are aware of a request from the BCCI to play a three-day warm-up match against a County Select XI as part of the Indian men’s Test teams build-up to the five-match Test series,” an ECB spokesperson told PTI.
“We are working through the operations and COVID-19 protocols to ensure we are able to deliver this and will confirm in due course.”
The ECB also informed that the county side competing against India in the warm-up match will consist of players who are not picked up for the inaugural season of the ‘The Hundred’ franchise cricket.
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Team India at present is enjoying their quality time in England and have been provided with the luxury to travel anywhere they want in England. The players will regroup on July 14 to begin their preparations for all-important India versus England five matches test series.
“The Indian Test team will report to Emirates Riverside, Durham for their pre-Test camp on 15 July and will prepare at the venue until August 1 before heading to Trent Bridge, Nottingham ahead of the first Test starting on August 4,” the spokesperson added.
The Indian outfit looked undercooked during the ICC WTC Final against New Zealand. India were allowed to have just one intrasquad match as practice for the World Test Championship final, which was certainly not enough.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli post the loss expressed his displeasure for not giving access to the warm up games before the inaugural test championship.
A couple of experts including Sunil Gavaskar and Alastair Cook also admitted that a solitary intrasquad match for such a high-intensity world test championship is not enough and India certainly felt that lacking.
The five match test series will begin on August 4 in Nottingham while the final test will begin on September 10.
ENGvsIND: ECB accepts BCCI request for warm-up matches before actual Test series.