Rain interruptions mar Day One of England v WI Test
England's opening batsman Dom Sibley is bowled by West Indies pacer Shannon Gabriel on the opening day of the first Test at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton yesterday. Pic/AP, PTI
Cricket finally returned after a 117-day hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but not without numerous pauses and frustration for the players on Day One of the first Test between England and West Indies at the Ageas Bowl here on Wednesday.
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England's stand-in captain Ben Stokes won the toss following a rain delay and opted to bat, but just three overs were possible before the weather intervened again. And when play eventually started, England lost Dom Sibley off the 10th ball of the day, clean bowled by Shannon Gabriel's beautiful in-swinger.
England were 0-1, but later moved on to 35-1 when, after two more rain stoppages, bad light forced an early tea despite floodlights being in operation.
Opener Rory Burns was 20 not out and Joe Denly was unbeaten on 14. Only 17.4 overs could be bowled across the two sessions.
All three Tests will be played behind closed doors at bio-secure grounds. The next two will be at Old Trafford.
Stokes, standing in for Joe Root, who is missing the first Test due to the birth of his second child, spoke of the excitement ahead of the restart of cricket. "I know everybody has been craving this, certainly from a players' point of view but I also think from a spectators' and fans' view," he said on Tuesday. "This is a massive occasion for a lot of people."
Players and officials are staying at on-site hotels to stop the spread of COVID-19 and bowlers are not allowed to use saliva to shine the ball as part of strict measures to control the spread of the virus.
England, Windies take a knee
England and West Indies players took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign as international cricket resumed after the Coronavirus lockdown. The players gathered in a semi-circle in the middle at Southampton to observe a minute’s silence in memory of both the victims of COVID-19 and West Indies great Everton Weekes, who died last week. WI players also wore black gloves on their right hands in an echo of the "Black Power" protests made famous by US athletes at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
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