England Under-19 programme suspended for 2020 season after West Indies postpone tour

The Young Lions had been set to face their Caribbean counterparts for six youth international fixtures in August and September

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England's under-19 side will not play any competitive cricket this summer after the West Indies withdrew from a planned tour in August and September.

The side, captained by Lancashire's George Balderson to a ninth-place finish at the U19 World Cup earlier this year, had been due to face their West Indies counterparts for four white-ball clashes in Beckenham (August 16-22) before Test fixtures in Bristol (August 27-30) and Hove (September 3-6).

However, the tourists have now cited scheduling conflicts as the reason for postponing their visit to an unspecified later date.

Amid the continued uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a statement from the ECB described it as "impractical" to now seek alternative opposition.

The move now leaves England without any youth international fixtures in a home summer for the first time since 1988.

Mo Bobat, the ECB's performance director, said: "Cancelling the summer programme for our U19 side is not an easy decision to take, but with it not having been possible to identify a window for the tour that works for both boards – and in the current climate – it is certainly the most appropriate step.

"Our young players benefit greatly from these competitive matches against their peers from around the world, not just in preparation for the biennial U19 World Cups, but also to prepare them for the rigours of international cricket.

"The squad learned a lot from their tri-series in Antigua in December 2019, so we look forward to welcoming the West Indians back to the UK in the future."

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England's U19 side hosted a tri-series with eventual World Cup finalists India and Bangladesh last year

While neither side has confirmed specific reasoning for moving the fixtures, the Caribbean Premier League last week issued a statement reaffirming their intention to host the franchise tournament from August 19-September 26.

These dates had been announced last September on the eve of the 2019 edition, with organisers citing these dates as ideal to ensure all contracted West Indies players were available for both the CPL and The Hundred to help gear up for the T20 World Cup in October.

Three members of the West Indies' 15-strong U19 World Cup squad have already been signed up by teams for this tournament, including captain Kimani Melius and 18-year-old Trinidad quick Jayden Seales.

England's squad members, meanwhile, will instead likely vie for selection in the Royal London Cup 50-over competition should it remain part of a truncated county programme.

U19 regulars such as Hamidullah Qadri, Dan Mousley and Joey Evison are among those who have signed new professional contracts with their counties ahead of the 2020 campaign, though the season will now not commence before May 28 in response to the developing coronavirus situation. 

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