England explore options for historic Nepal tour

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is mulling options for a maiden tour of Nepal in the next FTP cycle.

England could become the biggest international team to tour Nepal, with the ECB exploring the possibility of a T20I series in the 2027-31 international cycle.

The development comes after Nepal’s impressive performances in recent times, including a series win over the West Indies for the first time in UAE. However, they are yet to host a Test-playing nation for a full international tour.

England and Nepal played for the first time at the T20 World Cup in February, with the former winning the thriller on the final ball.

After a closely fought encounter, Nepal skipper and CAN secretary Paras Khadka held discussions with ECB officials regarding the future of Nepal cricket.

It is worth mentioning that the ECB has been working on the international calendar for the next cycle with several other boards. The final schedule has yet to be confirmed and depends on the ICC’s decision on the new World Test Championship (WTC) format.

Although England’s international schedule is already congested, the board is seriously considering a brief men’s tour of Nepal.

The series could likely take place before England’s white-ball assignment in Asia, such as India, and serve as valuable preparatory ground.

The England cricket team is set to host Australia for the Ashes in 2027, while Pakistan and New Zealand are also expected to tour for white-ball series in June and September, respectively.