JOIN USEngland, West Indies provide a road map
A typical English summer -- Test cricket, the red cherry swinging and seaming, and West Indies winning. As many former and current cricketers have already pointed out, you couldn’t have asked for a better resumption to international cricket.
Victory for West Indies in a Test over a top team these days is as rare as a coronavirus-free nation. Which is why both developments provide instant happiness, and more importantly, some hope. While a lot of elite sports leagues in Europe, the US and parts of Asia have begun sans spectators, holding a Test match was always going to be a different challenge given its duration.
Though a bio-secure bubble was created to minimise the risk of players getting exposed to the Covid-19, there is always a sense of apprehension. If there was any incidence of infection, not only that particular match, and possibly the series, would have had to be abandoned but it would also have seriously hampered plans of resuming cricket activities in other parts of the world.
“Credit to ECB and the West Indies cricket board for getting this going and cricket to come back,” Anil Kumble, the ICC Cricket Committee Chairman, told DH. “Probably, it was one of the most watched Test matches in a long while. And true to Test cricket, it lasted the distance which was really good. Of course, West Indies winning was really special for them.
“I think credit to the way it was organised, the way it was handled. We are hopeful, there still are some matches coming up, but it’s a good beginning and gives a lot of confidence to the people who have put it together and also to the players. I think the cricket was good, it was entertaining and not a boring game of Test cricket. So, obviously, it was very satisfying to see cricket back,” said the former India captain, who was hoping for a smooth passage of the Test after setting the ground rules for resumption of international action.
The system put in place by the English cricket board may be an ideal template for the rest of the countries to follow, but it remains to be seen how many countries can actually replicate the set-up with as much efficiency. After all, the two venues - Ageas Bowl (Southampton) and Old Trafford (Manchester) - for the ongoing series and the forthcoming matches against Pakistan have luxury hotels situated within the premises of the two stadiums and make the organisers’ job of restricting and controlling people’s movements effectively that much easier.
It’s difficult to see any Indian venue with such an obvious advantage in facilitating a bio-secure environment, but most of the traditional stadiums have well-maintained rooms in their club houses which can be spruced up further in terms of enhancing accommodation facilities and standards to make them fit for international teams.
“I guess it depends from country to country,” pointed out Kumble. “It’s not just about having the players within the facility, it’s also about making sure wherever they are, you need to create that kind of environment wherever you are staying. If that happens to be inside the stadium, which was so in this case, it’s all the more easy. Yeah, those are thoughts that anyone would want to explore and if there’s a facility within the premises, then I think it needs to be looked at seriously. Not just for international cricket, even domestic cricket. It’s ideal that everyone stays in the premises and you create that bubble. But it’s going to be quite challenging in busy cities like we live in.”
Kumble, however, said he was just happy to see some quality cricket in these depressing times.
"It's quite depressing for everyone to read about how the infection has spread, affected lives and disadvantaged a lot of people economically... It's been a challenge for everyone and if someone's livelihood is rejuvenated, it's a good thing and it's entertaining as well. I won't say it's a good distraction but it's something for people to look beyond the usual distressing news that we keep hearing."