Overview
- The England and Wales Cricket Board moved the start time of three evening T20 Internationals from 6:30pm to 5:30pm local time, a change reported on Monday and intended to make matches start at 10:00pm IST rather than 11:00pm IST.
- The change applies to three of the five July T20Is while the matches at Old Trafford on July 4 and Ageas Bowl on July 11 retain daytime 2:30pm local starts.
- ESPNcricinfo reporting says the decision followed consultations between the ECB, host venues, the Board of Control for Cricket in India and broadcasters Sky Sports and Sony Sports Network.
- Coverage links the scheduling shift to the high commercial value of India tours for the ECB, citing strong recent revenues and expectations of profit from the July white-ball series.
- Fan interest is high with the three ODIs sold out and only a few T20 tickets left, and the selection of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has added publicity while long English summer daylight means much play will still occur in natural light.