Update: Lancashire Cricket’s 2026 Pre-Season Tours
Lancashire Cricket can confirm that the Club’s scheduled pre-season tours of the UAE and India this month have been cancelled due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.
Both the Club’s men’s and women’s squads were due to fly to Dubai on Saturday 14 March, with the women’s squad also set to travel onwards to Mumbai, but alternative arrangements have now been made.
The men’s squad will head to Desert Springs in Spain on Friday 20 March for a week-long warm-weather training camp ahead of the new season.
It has also been confirmed that the women’s squad will travel to Potchefstroom in South Africa on Monday 16 March to continue their preparations for the 2026 campaign.
Director of Cricket Performance, Mark Chilton, said: “Given the ongoing political situation in the Middle East, we have made the decision to rearrange our pre-season training plans, with the safety and security of both playing squads and staff our number one priority.
“Our full men’s squad will now head to Desert Springs in Spain, a facility we are familiar with and had already planned to use for a smaller training group this month, to continue what has already been an excellent block of winter training with some outdoor intra-squad sessions.
“Meanwhile, our women’s squad are now set to head to Potchefstroom in South Africa, another incredible facility where they will train and stay at a high-quality cricket campus as they prepare to start the new season as defending champions of two competitions.
“I would like to thank both squads for their co-operation and for embracing new plans at such short notice as we look forward to the remainder of pre-season and making a strong start to the 2026 season.”
The Club can also confirm that Saqib Mahmood and Mitch Stanley, who were both in Abu Dhabi with England Lions, safely returned to the UK earlier this week with the rest of the Lions squad.
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