London
West Indies captain Jason Holder said international cricket will take a “huge step forward” following the coronavirus shutdown as his team arrived on Tuesday for a Test series in England.
Fans who have had to make do with months of television repeats can now look forward to the real thing again, with England captain Joe Root saying of the West Indies’ decision to tour: “It must be extremely scary and I think the whole cricketing world will be grateful to see some cricket again.”
The three-match contest was originally meant to be played in June but will now start on July 8 instead because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is a huge step forward in cricket and in sports in general as we travel over to England for this series,” said Holder.
“A lot has gone into the preparations for what will be a new phase in the game.”
But rather than matches before crowds at The Oval, Edgbaston and Lord’s, a now back-to-back series will take place behind closed doors at the more ‘bio-secure’ Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford.—APP