The tour which consisted of three T20Is, three ODIs and five tests, has been changed to accommodate two additional games of the shortest format
The upcoming tour of England men's national team to India in February and March 2021 has been altered keeping in mind the ICC T20 World Cup that is to be followed in October in the same year.
The two-month tour which comprised of three ODIs, three T20Is and five tests has been changed now by reducing one test match and accommodating two additional T20Is making it 5 T20Is, three ODIs and four tests.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly while announcing at a virtual event said that organising bilateral series is easier in current situation than a eight-nine team tournament.
"England is touring India for four Test matches, three ODIs, and five T20Is. It is easier to have bilaterals than having eight-nine-ten teams, which gets difficult, but we have to keep assessing the situation," Ganguly said.
England were earlier scheduled to tour India in September for a limited-overs series (ODIs and T20Is) was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty regarding the T20 World Cup, which was supposed to take place in the October-November window in Australia.
However, the situation in India for hosting the matches is still uncertain and like the IPL, UAE will be a backup for not just the IPL 2021 but England series as well.
"A lot of people are talking about the second Covid wave. We're already hearing of cases being on the rise again in Mumbai and Delhi, so we have to be careful and make sure everything is in order.
"The next IPL is five months away and we're very much trying to have it in India," Ganguly said.
"I always tell people that they need to be here to see what the IPL means to India. We're also going to be hosting domestic cricket in India."
Domestic Tournament schedule
However, the details of the domestic season are not out yet, but the T20 competition Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be held first keeping in mind the auction for the IPL 2021, followed by the Ranji Trophy, the first-class cricket tournament. And, these will be probably the only two competitions to be held in a short window that is available this time.
Ganguly also shed light on the plans for organising age-group cricket and women's cricket.
Talking to PTI in October about the same, Ganguly said, "We have had extensive discussions on domestic cricket and we have tentatively decided to start the competitions from January 1, 2021. We will certainly have the full fledged Ranji Trophy. [But] it will probably not be possible to hold all tournaments.
"We also have elaborate plans for our age-group and women's cricket. We will start with the Ranji Trophy and then we will also have the other tournaments between March and April."
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