CHENNAI: Expressing interest to travel to a country which, not long ago, was among the worst hit with COVID-19 in the world. Travelling to Antigua to join a squad of 25 players and 11 in the support staff. Undergoing COVID-19 tests. A chartered flight to Manchester. Self-isolation of two weeks, during which they had nets in a bio-secure environment next to Old Trafford.
Hello, West Indies! The first team to experience what will be a new normal in cricket. England share a similar tale. Just that they have been at home, in Southampton, where they had a warm-game. Come Wednesday, all eyes will on these two teams, in a historic Test series — #RaiseTheBat in tribute to doctors and healthcare professionals — beginning in Southampton sans spectators.
The build-up has grabbed headlines. Players, coaches and others in the team crew, who usually spend evenings on the streets grabbing a drink or two, have been confined to their rooms. Such is the #newnormal that the West Indies team management gave players activities to engage and keep their minds off the pandemic.
"Everyone is in the right frame of mind. Over the last four weeks, we’ve got to balance how much we think about it, talk about it and what we are here for. The guys are looking forward to the Test match. We’ve had a few activities and it’s a positive because it keeps guys close, helps people bond, allows Kemar (Roach) and Shannon (Gabriel) and Jason (Holder) to chat with the youngsters. That part has been excellent," West Indies head coach Phil Simmons, who lives in UK and joined the team in Manchester, said in a select online press conference facilitated by SPN Network.
This series will be the first since a new set of rules came into play in the wake of the pandemic. Teams are not allowed to use saliva to shine the ball. This ICC decision has received criticism from certain quarters that things will be lopsided in favour of the batsmen. Simmons agrees that this is hard on the bowlers, but expects his pacers to adapt.
"There are changes in life. The pandemic has brought a lot of changes. Not being able to put saliva on the ball is huge because that’s what we’ve grown up with. But you must have other ways to do it. A couple of days in the practice game were hard, but now, we don’t have that headache. We found other ways to shine the ball and keep it in shape," Simmons said.
While test cricket continues to be well received in England, empty stands will reduce the excitement this time. For England it could be massive, given that they are used to capacity crowds at home.
Simmons said it hardly matters for his boys. "Some of the times in the Caribbean, whether Test or ODI, there isn’t much crowd anyways. It doesn't hold such a barrier for us. As cricketers when you are out there, you have to sometimes black out the crowd. This is an ideal situation for that," he added.
(The England vs West Indies Test series will be live on Sony Six channels on Wednesday from 3.30 PM)