County fixtures delayed by tour uncertainty

The announcement of the 2009 English domestic fixtures has been delayed by up to a month because of the uncertainty surrounding who the first set of tourists will be.

Sri Lanka were meant to be arriving at the end of April for a two-Test and three-ODI tour, but that has now virtually been abandoned because of 13 leading Sri Lanka players who have IPL contracts and wouldn't tour.

West Indies have been lined up as replacement opposition but details of the trip have yet to be confirmed and this is having a knock-on effect for the county programme. Fixtures are normally announced around the middle of November, but now they are not expected until some time in December.

If the West Indies visit is confirmed they will become familiar opponents for England who will have just completed a four-Test and five-match ODI tour of the Caribbean in early April.

The rest of the international schedule for the English season includes the World Twenty20 in June and the main event of the Ashes in July and August.