West Indies postpone tour of England in wake of Covid-19 pandemic

West Indies’ tour of England, that was scheduled to happen in June with the Caribbean Nation playing three Tests against the home side, has become the latest victim of the coronavirus pandemic, with Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirming that the tour has been indefinitely postponed. The Jason Holder-led Windies side were scheduled to play three Tests between June 4 and June 29 in what was set to kick off England’s home summer, but CWI chief executive Johnny Grave, in a statement, confirmed that the series has been postponed due to the ongoing health crisis.

"We continue to be in regular dialogue with the ECB on when and how we might be able to rearrange the Test series," said Cricket West Indies chief executive Johnny Grave in a statement, reported TOI.

"Clearly playing in June is now not possible and we will continue our discussions with the ECB and other Internationals Boards on trying to find new dates.

"We will only travel to England to play the series if our players can be assured that it is safe to do so."

The two boards are, however, said to be keen on rearranging the series in a July-September window, something that might prove to be tricky given the barrage of other matches scheduled for the same time period. Last week, Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed that they, too, were indefinitely suspending their tour of Sri Lanka, which was set to comprise three ODIs and three T20Is. 

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), meanwhile, on Friday, announced that professional cricket in the country will be suspended until at least July 1, owing to the Covid-19 situation in England. The United Kingdom is considered as one of the epicentres as the pandemic and, as of this moment, has over 140,000 detected Covid-19 cases.