The England and Wales Cricket Board announced proposed dates and venues for a three-match Test series against West Indies in July.
The series has been scheduled to get underway from July 8 at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl, subject to government’s approval. It will then shift Old Trafford in Manchester for the second and third Tests slated to start from July 16 and 24 July respectively.
All three matches will be played behind closed doors.
As per the plan, West Indies squad is scheduled to arrive in the UK on June 9 for a mandatory three-week period of quarantine in Manchester before moving to the Ageas Bowl for the series opening Test.
“International venues were encouraged to submit their expressions of interest during a five-day window, based on several fundamental principles. Four venues submitted an interest in staging matches by the deadline of Monday 11 May, with the final recommendations for the use of the Ageas Bowl and Emirates Old Trafford later ratified by the ECB Board,” ECB said in a statement on Tuesday.
Additionally, Edgbaston has been confirmed as a contingency venue and will be used to stage additional training throughout July.
“Our main objective is to deliver a safe environment for all stakeholders including players, match officials, operational staff, essential venue staff, broadcasters and media. We are in daily dialogue with Government and our medical team, who have been incredibly supportive during this period. These are our proposed dates and they remain subject to UK Government approval,” ECB Director of Events Steve Elworthy said.
The venues were chosen after they met several criteria to ensure biosecure environment.
Match Details :
| Date | Fixtures | Venue |
| 8-12 July | England vs West Indies 1st Test | Ageas Bowl |
| 16-20 July | England vs West Indies 2nd Test | Emirates Old Trafford |
| 24-28 July | England vs West Indies 3rd Test | Emirates Old Trafford |
ECB Announced list of Players to resume their training
Earlier England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released a list of 55 players who can resume their training. Due to the corona virus pandemic all scheduled sports events has been called off and players too restricted to resume their training.
On May 29 ECB lists names of the 55 men’s national players and permit them to resume their training to prepare for behind-closed-doors cricket, subject to UK Government clearance.
The ECB continues to work closely with its county partners to provide a safe and efficient return to practice for players, and is grateful for the support of the counties in assisting with the coaching provision across this period.
ECB also confirmed squads for specific formats will be announced in the coming days.
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