Getting battle ready

The Englandwest Indies threetest series, which aims to start on July 8 subject to UK government clearance, will see many rsts — biosecure venues, no fans, no saliva on the ball and more.

But the county is hopeful of turning the tide as TV rights of an international cricket match could help them recover. Hampshire and Lancashire earned the gig for their onsite hotel, Hilton, which ensures all stakeholders are spread out within the premises.

“The whole idea of a hotel onsite and a gated ground is biosecure, so no one leaves the premises. The hotel sta will be serving the players, ocials and the media. They will be tested regularly. There will be select few from the UK media and they will have to stay at the hotel for the duration of the match. Nobody goes home after the end of day’s play,” Giles White, Director of Cricket, Hampshire, told Sportstar.

There will be separate zones for players, ocials and the broadcasters along with other operational sta.

The Caribbeans will arrive on July 4, three days prior to the Test. “They come down to the Ageas around July 4 ahead of the rst Test. While they return to Old Trafford for the second and third Tests, the England whiteball side is going to be training at the Ageas from July 16 to prepare for the ODI series against Ireland, scheduled from July 30 [provisionally]. There will be two teams working between two dierent venues, training and preparing, and then playing,” he said.

There is still no clarity on the concept of

crowd simulation. A decision is likely to be taken closer to the date. “Joe Root is keen to have recordings of the Barmy Army playing in the background. I don’t know if he was being serious. I am sure TV will put something around for the atmosphere.”

“I know they are playing football in Germany to empty stands. It seems a little eerie without any background noise. Even we can’t imagine an IPL without the crowd, how strange is that going to be,” said White, adding that the head groundsman, Simon Lee, is working throughout this period to prepare the wicket.

White is pinning his hopes on the television coverage. “Lot of money comes through TV rights. Getting international cricket on TV is a big part of helping the game as a whole in this country. Every county will benet from international cricket. It is good for us that we are also hosting a Test match. Hopefully, the hotel will also be full for the next three months,” said the former Hampshire batsman.

If things go as planned, Ageas will also host Pakistan and then Ireland for the ODIS.

“At the end of the summer, we might be hosting Australia. There is a hell lot of cricket, potentially six Test matches and 12 One Day Internationals. There is a lot of dialogue with the government and medical team, it is a big operation. If things change, it remains to be seen if that has an eect on the staging of cricket.”

When the West Indies arrived in the UK on June 9, it became the rst touring cricket team during the pandemic. They headed to Old Traord for quarantine and training while maintaining social distancing. The threeweek stay, with strict guidelines, will hopefully toughen them for the series.

The team will return to the ground for the remaining Tests. Even then, it is going to be only practice and no entertainment for the amboyant Caribbeans.

“They will be here, they will be able to practice and use the cricket facilities but I am not sure what other entertainment we can provide. The West Indies will have a

Resumption: The Ageas Bowl in Southampton will host the rst Test between England an the West Indies starting from July 8.AP

AFP Safety first: A bus carrying members of the West Indies cricket team arrives at the Old Traord cricket ground in Manchester. “We’re ensuring every aspect of the venue is as clean as possible before sta and players arrive and we will continue with deepcleaning measures throughout the period [of the Test] as well,” says Steve Davies, Director of Operations at the venue.