England turn back time with rare international double

ENGLAND will make it two international matches in different countries on consecutive days today for the first time in 92 years — and they face the prospect of a repeat next winter.

The third Test against New Zealand in Leeds follows yesterday’s one-day finale in Amsterdam, highlighting how saturated the calendar has become. england last experienced the phenomenon in January 1930 when they dispatched two teams to different parts of the globe and Tests were played simultaneously against New Zealand in Christchurch, from January 10, and West indies in Barbados, starting the next day. But the modern headache of cramming series into a 10-month timeframe, avoiding a clash with the all-powerful indian Premier League, means two separate sides will be on duty again within 24 hours in early 2023.

The second Test in New Zealand next February begins on the same day that an england Xi have their first warm-up fixture in Bangladesh. it is scheduled to finish the day before the first one-dayer against Bangladesh on March 1. england did play back-to-back games in 2020, when separate squads were necessary because of Covid, and a 50-over defeat by ireland in southampton preceded an enthralling Test match win over Pakistan in Manchester. And five months ago an england squad landed in the Caribbean for five T20 matches while the fifth Ashes Test in Hobart was ongoing. Australia successfully navigated a similar issue in 2017. Their white-ball team beat sri Lanka in a T20 in Adelaide on February 22, ahead of a Test win over india in Pune, which started the next day.