England Under 19 tour to Australia postponed

A proposed England U19 tour of Australia in April of this year has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The tour was originally scheduled for February 2021, and then pushed back to April to give it the best chance of taking place, but this week both boards agreed it was necessary to postpone further.

ECB Performance Director Mo Bobat said: "Travelling over to Australia to represent your country is a fantastic experience at any level, so it’s disappointing that we have had to postpone it for the time being, but clearly the right decision given the current climate.

"The series represents one half of our reciprocal plans with Cricket Australia at Under 19 level and we hope to be able to host the Australian Under 19 team in the UK during our domestic summer. Both boards will continue to explore options for rescheduling the postponed tour to Australia."

Cricket Australia's National Talent & Pathways Manager, Graham Manou, said: “We were very much looking forward to hosting the England Under 19 team, however the significant logistical challenges associated with hosting a series in these times as well as a duty of care to protect the health and wellbeing of both squads, was ultimately why both boards agreed to postpone the tour.”

”International competition for this age group is critical. We look forward to continuing to work with the ECB to explore ways in which our young players can further their development both at home and abroad.”