India tour itinerary announced
The England and Wales Cricket Board are delighted to announce that the itinerary for the forthcoming tour of India has been agreed with the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) incorporating a number of changes to the draft itinerary previously announced by BCCI.
After a weekend of positive talks with officials of the BBCI in Mumbai, the ECB are pleased to confirm that England’s warm-up matches for the tour will consist of a three-day practice match at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai followed by a first-class three-day game against a President’s XI in Baroda.
The three Test matches will now take place in Nagpur, Mohali and Mumbai and these will be followed by a one-day warm-up match in Jaipur and seven ODIs in Delhi, Faridabad, Goa, Cochin, Guwahati, Jamshedpur and Indore.
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John Carr (left), ECB director of cricket operations, said: “We are grateful to the BCCI for providing us with this revised itinerary.
“Whilst their officials have had to work within the parameters of their rotation policy for the allocation of international matches, they have managed to significantly ease England’s travelling schedule confirming that both teams will travel by direct flights from venue to venue with charter arrangements put in place where necessary.
“The Test match in Mumbai, followed by the warm-up matches in Jaipur and the first two ODIs in the Dehli area, offer spectator groups the chance to watch top-class international cricket in cities with first class facilities and with great appeal for visitors.
“With the third and fourth ODIs scheduled for Goa and Cochin, we also hope and expect that large numbers of England supporters will travel on to these popular coastal resorts.”
The tour will also begin one week earlier than originally planned. This follows the recent decision to cancel the proposed Asia Cup, which had been scheduled to be played in Pakistan in February.
Carr added: “This move allows England the opportunity to play in a more temperate climate during the early part of the tour and, just as importantly, offers the players a greater rest period between the end of the India tour and the start of the home npower Test series against Sri Lanka.”
Itinerary:
Feb 13, 2006 - Arrive in Mumbai
Feb 18-20 - three-day practice match, CCI Mumbai (involving all England players in the squad)
Feb 23-25 - three-day 1st Class, Baroda v President’s XI
March 1-5 - 1st Test, Nagpur
March 9-13 - 2nd Test, Mohali
March 18-22 - 3rd Test, Mumbai
March 25 - one-day tour match, Jaipur
March 28 - 1st ODI, Delhi
March 31 - 2nd ODI, Faridabad
April 3 - 3rd ODI, Goa
April 6 - 4th ODI, Cochin
April 9 - 5th ODI, Guwahati
April 12 - 6th ODI, Jamshedpur
April 15 - 7th ODI, Indore
Please note ECB will publish ticketing information for the various venues here on ecb.co.uk as soon as this is received from BCCI
