BCCI offer to play two extra T20Is on England tour next year

The fifth and final Test match between England and India in Manchester got cancelled due to the COVID-19 threat. Although few English experts are of the view that India cancelled the match due to the second leg of Indian Premier League (IPL), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) denied any such claims and confirmed that the match was called off due to COVID-19.

Before the start of the Manchester Test, team India’s junior physio Yogesh Parmar was detected with COVID-19. Initially, a day’s play was cancelled, but the visitors were reluctant to take the field once they got to know about Parmar’s status. Since then, BCCI have had several discussions about playing the Test match later when the opportunity presents.

If the latest reports are anything to go by, then BCCI secretary Jay Shah has offered to play two T20Is next year to settle the matter and help the ECB recover from the financial losses suffered due to the cancellation of fifth Test. It is also be noted that if the match is declared as called-off due to COVID-19, the ECB cannot claim the insurance too.

Jay Shah has also said that the offer to play two T20Is will remain if the ECB does not push for forfeiture. “It is correct that we have offered to play two extra T20Is when we visit England next July (only for the white-ball games). Instead of three T20Is, we will play five T20Is. Alternatively, we will be willing to play a one-off Test as well. It is up to them to choose either of the offers,” Shah told Cricbuzz.