SKY SPORTS has won the rights to England’s winter tours of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and will now show coverage of all three England Test tours this winter.

The tour of Bangladesh will be England’s first Test series in the country and will complete an impressive set for Sky Sports: a live England Test match from each of the ten Test nations.

This winter’s live England series on Sky Sports are:

Bangladesh v England – England play two Tests and three ODIs from 21 October – 12 November.

Sri Lanka v England – Three Tests and three ODIs are
contested from 18 November to 22 December.

West Indies v England – Four Tests and seven ODIs from 11 March – 5 May.

Former England captain and a Sky Sports commentator since 1992, Bob Willis said: ‘This is great news for us at Sky Sports and for cricket. We share the ECB’s enthusiasm for the future of the game and have a proud tradition of
bringing the excitement of England’s winter Tests to supporters in the UK, and ensuring that Sky Sports viewers benefit from a diet of world-class cricket throughout the year.’

Sky has covered England live every winter since the West Indies tour in 1990 – the first ball-by-ball coverage of an overseas tour. Since the first Test played in Kingston in February 1990, Sky Sports has broadcast live coverage of 74 England Test matches, including three tours of the West Indies and two previous tours of Sri Lanka.

This season’s winter cricket action is the culmination of yet another year of comprehensive live cricket coverage on Sky Sports. By the time the first Test against Bangladesh commences on 21 October, Sky Sports will have shown 176 days of live cricket this year, including every game in the 2003 World Cup, England’s one-day internationals against Pakistan, South Africa and Zimbabwe, and the inaugural and highly successful, Twenty20 Cup.

Bob Willis will join former England captain and one of the most acclaimed batsmen of his generation, David Gower in the Sky Sports commentary booth with the legendary Ian Botham, former England player and coach, David Lloyd and 1983 World Cup bowler, Paul Allott. Pace legend, Michael Holding will also be joining the line-up for the West Indies leg of the tour.

ENGLAND’S WINTER TOUR SCHEDULE ON SKY SPORTS

Bangladesh v England
First Test 21-25 October Dhaka
Second Test 29 October – 2 November Chittagong
First ODI 7 November Chittagong
Second ODI 10 November Dhaka (D/N)
Third ODI 12 November Dhaka (D/N)

Sri Lanka v England
First ODI 18 November Dambulla
Second ODI 21 November Colombo (RPS) (D/N)
Third ODI 23 November Colombo (RPS) (D/N
First Test 2-6 December Galle
Second Test 10-14 December Kandy
Third Test 18-22 December Colombo (SSC)

West Indies v England
First Test 11-15 March Kingston, Jamaica
Second Test 19-23 March Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
Third Test 1-5 April Bridgetown, Barbados
Fourth Test 10-14 April St. John’s, Antigua
First ODI 18 April Georgetown, Guyana
Second ODI 24 April Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
Third ODI 25 April Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
Fourth ODI 28 April St. George’s, Grenada
Fifth ODI 1 May Beausejour, St. Lucia
Sixth ODI 2 May Beausejour, St. Lucia
Seventh ODI 5 May Bridgetown, Barbados

For further information please contact:

Kate Stevens on 020 7705 3406
Or Sky Sports Publicity on 0207 800 4254