The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is the first cricket board to resume the sport amidst the coronavirus pandemic, report agencies.
The game of cricket was halted for the past four months in view of the COVID-19 outbreak. After the unexpected long break, the England board is trying hard to bring back some kind of normalcy in the game.
The West Indies tour of England starting from July 8 will mark the beginning of cricket once again after a span of four months. The three-match Test series is historic as this would be the first time that cricket would be played without the spectators.
Though ECB is resuming the game, the authorities are taking proper precautions and are following all the guidelines laid by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to ensure the safety of people involved. As a result, Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford are chosen for hosting the matches considering that they have on-site hotels that would help in building a biosecure bubble.
After the West Indies, England is also expected to play against Ireland and Pakistan respectively later in the month of July. On Monday, England Cricket locked the venues and dates for hosting the Pakistan cricket team for a three-match Test series and a three-match T20 series.
The Pakistan tour will begin with the first Test match on August 5 at Old Trafford followed by the other two matches at Ageas Bowl starting from August 13 and August 21. Also, the T20 matches between England and Pakistan would be conducted on August 28, 30, and September 1 at Old Trafford.