BANGLADESH TOUR OFF TO BOOST IPL

ENGLAND’S players will be available for the IPL after it emerged their autumn tour of Bangladesh has been postponed Eoin Morgan’s side were due to fly to Dhaka in late September for three one-day internationals and three T20s, before heading to Pakistan for a pair of T20s on October 14 and 15 — part of their preparation for the T20 World Cup in the UAE The news will go down well with the BCCI, the Indian board, who want as many players available for the rescheduled IPL following its postponement mid-tournament in early May because of the pandemic A recent surge in Covid cases in Bangladesh has not helped Ashley Giles (pictured), the ECB’s managing director of England men’s cricket, said recently the international game would take priority over T20 franchise cricket And while the ECB are insisting in private that the cancellation is the decision of the Bangladeshis, the development gives England’s IPL cohort the option of fulfilling lucrative contracts Meanwhile, Pakistan authorities have denied that England’s planned visit — their first to the country since 2005-06 — is also under threat PCB chairman Ehsan Mani told Sportsmail: ‘Chief executive Wasim Khan has been in talks with the ECB and agreed the tour arrangements with Tom Harrison As far as we are concerned, the visit is going ahead ’. But the two-match trip finishes only eight days before England are due to play their first game in the T20 World Cup against Australia, leaving little time for players to quarantine in the UAE The length of the quarantine period is still to be confirmed and is complicated by the fact the ICC have to reach an agreement with four separate governments — Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, plus Oman, who are hosting the preliminary matches