The postponed fifth match of the Test series between England and India has been rescheduled and will now take place at Edgbaston in July 2022.
The match, which was due to be played last month at Old Trafford, was called off when India were unable to field a team due to Covid concerns. The concluding Test will now begin on 1 July next year following an agreement between the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The tourists lead the series 2-1.
The match cannot be staged at Old Trafford because the ground will not have time to prepare a Test pitch. Lancashire’s home will instead host the second Test against South Africa on 25 August, which was previously due to take place at Edgbaston. The T20 series between England and India will now start six days later than originally planned, on 7 July.
“We are very pleased that we have reached an agreement with BCCI to create a fitting end to what has been a brilliant series so far,” said Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive. “I’m very grateful to all the venues involved for the co-operation they’ve shown in allowing us to reschedule this match. I’d also like to thank Cricket South Africa for their support and understanding to allow these changes to be possible.
“We would like to apologise again to fans for the disruption and disappointment of the September events. We know it was a day that so many had planned long in advance. We recognise that accommodating this extra match means a tighter schedule for the white-ball series. We will continue to manage our players’ welfare and workloads through next year while we also continue to seek the optimum schedule for fans, players and our partners across the game.”