Cricket Australia has officially confirmed their limited-overs tour to England and will play three-match T20I and ODI series. The fate of the tour was doubtful but now England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has verified that the tour will begin on September 4. This tour was originally slated to take place in July, but that wasn’t possible due to the spread of Covid-19 all over the world.
The tour will begin with the T20I series as all 3 matches will take place at Southampton on September 4, September 6 and September 8 respectively. Moreover, the three ODI matches will be contested on September 11, September 13 and September 16 at Manchester Old Trafford. These venues will host the matches as it contains a bio bubble and a hotel inside the stadium itself.
Australia tour of England confirmed
Australia’s squad is likely to reach England on August 24 keeping the quarantine days in mind. They will reach Derbyshire before travelling to the venue of the T20I series, Southampton on August 27. The Aussies will also plan an intra-squad 50-over practice game and three such T20 practice matches.
Australia’s Head coach Justin Langer lauded the physical condition in which the players have returned following such a lengthy hiatus and seemed excited about the England tour finally taking place.
“It’s vital for cricket that we do everything we can to keep the game going in these tough times. I am delighted with how the players have returned to their states from the break back in March. The whole squad has come back fitter and stronger, which is great testament to each of them”, Langer said.
“We have a massive assignment ahead with World Cups, Test series against India and South Africa and the Ashes next year. We can’t wait to get back into it again”, the Australian coach added.
Here is the complete 21 man squad for the England tour:
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (VC), Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
“We owe a significant debt of gratitude to the players, staff and administrators of Cricket Australia for their efforts in getting this tour underway. Their co-operation to ensure these matches are staged is crucial to cricket in this country”.
“It will also provide much-needed financial aid at all levels of cricket in England and Wales as we work through the challenges in front of us,” said ECB CEO Tom Harrison adding that the Australian tour will a perfect way to end the England summer this year.
Meanwhile, players of both side who are part of the IPL are likely to miss the initial few matches. With IPL starting on September 19, the players of England and Australia will have to undergo a six-day isolation period upon reaching UAE.
