Cricket

BBC's Test Match Special loses rights for England cricket tours of Sri Lanka and the West Indies
It is the first time since 2005 Test Match Special has lost the rights to an overseas tour

The BBC have lost the rights to England's tours of Sri Lanka and the West Indies
The BBC have lost the rights to England's tours of Sri Lanka and the West Indies ( Getty )
The audio rights to England's tours of Sri Lanka and the West Indies have been won by commercial broadcaster talkSPORT.

It is the first time since 2005 the BBC's Test Match Special has lost the rights to an England overseas tour.

The free to air rights cover the Tests, ODIs and T20s for the tours which start in Sri Lanka in October and the West Indies in early 2019.

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Wireless Group CEO Scott Taunton said: "Winning these prestigious rights is a great victory for talkSPORT and its first-class coverage. England's overseas tours are sure to lure large audiences of fans as we cement talkSPORT's position as the fans' favourite for sporting news, analysis and live coverage.

"I'm delighted that we will be with England fans for every ball of the day throughout these winter tours, with our own expert line-up of cricketing stars."

Former England player and talkSPORT presenter Darren Gough said: "England's supporters are the best in the world and loyally follow the team around the cricketing globe.

"Come day or night and rain or shine, we'll be there with the fans as all the drama unfolds and with a full analysis of the day's play."

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