Windies attitude in quarantine pleases Simmons
Head coach Phil Simmons says the Windies have shown great character over the first week of their quarantine since arriving here for their three-Test series against England next month.
The 25-man contingent, comprising a 14-member Test squad and 11 reserves, has been locked away at Old Trafford since touching down last Tuesday, while also undergoing intense training amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the protocols adopted for the seven-week tour, the tourists will be isolated from the public in what have been termed “biosecure” facilities at Old Trafford and the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
“Training has been going good, it’s been going very good,” Simmons told media via Zoom.
“The facilities at Old Trafford are second to none so we’ve been enjoying that. To be honest, the biosecure [environment] is a little bit similar to what we would’ve done for our training camp so we’ve not had to do much different to that.
WE’VE BEEN GOOD
“I think we’ve been good from the point of view that we have everything here so far. The lockdown, as you would call it, has been eased because we all have been locked down for a number of months which ever part of the world you were in.
“Now part of the lockdown is coming out to practise in the morning and having lunch and practice in the afternoon and having dinner, playing some games with some of your colleagues. So I think this part of the lockdown is better than what we’ve had in March, April.
“But it’s early days and it’s been very educational because you have some characters here including the captain who keeps everything lively.”
The United Kingdom has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, with authorities here recording over 296,000 infections and over 41,000 deaths.
Unsurprisingly, the public health crisis forced the England and Wales Cricket Board to postpone the series from last month, and following negotiations with Cricket West Indies, settled on new dates in July.
The first Test will be played at the Ageas Bowl from July 8-12, with the second Test scheduled for Old Trafford from July 16-20 and the final Test set for the same venue here starting July 24.