Amid coronavirus pandemic followed by worldwide lockdown, fans are missing cricketing magic. However, if everything goes as planned then from next month the avid followers of the captivating game could see the real action on the field as England and West Indies are set to kick-off the Test series from July 8.
Meanwhile, England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced a 30-man group for the training session which is scheduled to begin from June 23. Big news for Joe Root’s side is that the English all-rounder Moeen Ali has been included in the 30-member group.
The 32-year-old had declared a break from Test cricket in September last year after losing out on a central contract for the longest format for the 2019-20 season. Moeen last appeared for England in the 2019 Ashes series opener. The Birmingham-born has so far played 60 Tests and taken 181 wickets. The southpaw has also amassed 2782 runs with five hundreds and 14 half-centuries.
This 30-man group will participate in a three-day practise match from July 1, after which a squad will be selected for the first Test of the behind-closed-doors three-match series against Jason Holder-led Caribbean side.
“Everyone involved with England is delighted that cricket is returning soon and that the players are reporting for group training in preparation for the series against West Indies,” said National Selector Ed Smith as quoted by Sky Sports.
“We’d also like to thank all the county coaches who have supported these players over the past few weeks. A squad for the first Test will be announced in due course,” he added.
Here are the fixtures:
- July 8-12: First Test at Ageas Bowl, Southampton
- July 16-20: Second Test at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
- July 24-28: Third Test at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
Here is the 30-man training group:
Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Dom Bess (Somerset), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Keaton Jennings (Lancashire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Jamie Overton (Somerset), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Amar Virdi (Surrey), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).
