England's tour of India postponed until 2021 due to pandemic

Boards looking at a full tour between January and March with UAE reported as possible venue

England were scheduled to tour India for limited overs matches in September-October. Getty

England's white-ball tour of India, which was scheduled for September-October, has been postponed until at least early next year.

The International Cricket Council's Future Tours Programme stated the two nations would play three ODIs and three Twenty20s ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia.

But the global tournament has been put back by 12 months because of the coronavirus pandemic, and with India becoming the third country to pass two million infections recently, England's tour has been put back until 2021.

Instead, the England and Wales Cricket Board and its Indian counterparts are exploring a tour comprising all formats which would run from late January until the end of March.

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said: "Now that we have clarity regarding the postponement of ICC Men's T20 World Cup, it enables us to work with other boards to progress the vital task of optimising the international schedules in the challenging circumstances that we have all been having to address with the Covid-19 pandemic.

"International cricket between India and England is a highlight of the cricketing calendar and we look forward to working with the Board of Control for Cricket in India to firm-up the schedules for these eagerly anticipated tours as soon as possible."

The Press Association reported that the tour could take place in the UAE, which is set to play host to this year's Indian Premier League between September 19 and November 10.

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UAE venues set to host IPL 2020

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BCCI secretary Jay Shah said: "The India-England series is one of the most anticipated contests in world cricket. The two teams compete hard on the field and provide some riveting moments.

"I am pleased with the way BCCI and ECB have managed the situation. The rescheduled tour is also being redesigned in a way to accommodate both red and white-ball format and will now be a comprehensive one."