Cricket-Sri Lanka-Ireland one-off test match postponed

Sri Lanka have postponed their scheduled one-off home test match against Ireland next year due to the lack of a broadcast partner, the country's cricket board SLC announced http://cricket.lk/2019/12/ireland-tour-of-sri-lanka-postponed on Wednesday. Sri Lanka's current broadcast agreement for home matches was inked in 2013, at a time when Ireland were yet to secure a full member status.

Ireland was scheduled to play Sri Lanka in a one-off test from Feb. 8-12, 2020. "Sri Lanka Cricket in consultation with Ireland Cricket decided to reschedule the tour to a later date to ensure that the proposed one off test match will come under the next broadcast agreement, which SLC is planning to sign with a prospective partner during the year 2020," the SLC said in a statement.

"The new dates of the tour will be announced, once confirmed." The news comes just days after Ireland were forced to cancel next year's home test against Bangladesh, which chief executive Warren Deutrom described was due to a "number of financial headwinds" faced by the board.

Ireland have played three tests since being awarded full member status in June 2017 and are not part of the ongoing World Test Championship.