IND vs ENG: ECB alters timings of rescheduled 5th Test to suit Indian viewers
India are currently leading the five-match series 2-1, having won the Test matches at Lord’s and the Oval in the series last summer.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have reportedly decided to alter the timings of the rescheduled fifth Test match against India in Birmingham. It will now start from 10:30 am local time, rather than the traditional 11:00 am start in England. As per a report in Daily Mail, this decision was made to suit the viewers from the subcontinent, for whom the match will now start at 3:00 pm and will be played till 10:00 pm. (Also Read | 'Shoaib Akhtar who?': Speedometer shows Bhuvneshwar bowl a 208 kph delivery against Ireland, Twitter left baffled)
The half-an-hour shift will potentially attract more viewers to watch the end of day’s play. This will also account for the addition of extra 30 minutes in order to wrap the 90 overs per day.
England are currently engaged in a Test series against New Zealand at home, in which the play starts at 11:00 am. The only disadvantage for matches starting earlier is the presence of dew.
Meanwhile, there are questions about who the captain for the Indian team might be on July 1, with Rohit Sharma having tested positive for Covid-19 and KL Rahul injured.
Virat Kohli captained the Indian team in the first four matches, which were played last year before the series got suspended due to a Covid outburst in the Indian camp.
However, Kohli is no longer the Indian team captain, and then coach Ravi Shastri has also been replaced by Rahul Dravid.
England also made changes to their leadership, with Joe Root stepping down from the position after a difficult Ashes and Windies tour. Ben Stokes now leads the Three Lions and the pack is coached by Brendon McCullum.
India are currently leading the five-match series 2-1, having won the Test matches at Lord’s and the Oval in the series last summer. The fifth and final Test was then scheduled to be held at Old Trafford in Manchester.
After the conclusion of the Tests, the action will shift to the limited-over format with both sides playing three T20Is and the equal number of ODIs.
