Xtra Time Web Desk: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has reportedly denied receiving a request from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to advance the five-Test series by a week from its current August 4 start to give them a better shot at completing the remaining 31 matches of the now-postponed Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season.
“We talk to the BCCI on a regular basis about a wide range of issues especially as we address the challenges of COVID-19, but have had no official request to change dates and are continuing to plan for the five Test series as is scheduled,” a spokesman for the ECB was quoted as saying in Cricbuzz. India is scheduled to play five Test matches on their long tour of England. The first Test at Trent Bridge starts on August 4, following the World Test Championship Final in June.