The cricketing activities around the world are currently suspended due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the outbreak has also cast a shadow on the upcoming events. One such event is the Test series between West Indies and England which was supposed to take place in England from June 4. England has been deeply affected by the virus outbreak and with the increasing number of cases, it looks quite unlikely that cricket will be played anytime soon in the country. However, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has come up with a plan to save the series by shifting it to the Caribbean while keeping the dates intact.
“I’ve spoken to Tom Harrison a couple of times in the last few days and assured him that we will be as flexible, supportive and helpful as possible,” CWI CEO Jonny Grave was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“To that end, yes, we have offered to host the series here in the Caribbean if that is deemed helpful. The ECB would retain all commercial and broadcast rights,” he added.
The two boards have had discussions regarding the fate of the series amid the outbreak and there have been talks of rescheduling. However, CWI have come up with another solution.
“This is not about us trying to take advantage of the situation. It’s about the cricket community working together at a difficult time for everyone and, one of the many great things about the Caribbean is, we can play cricket all year round. There has long been a special relationship between the cricket communities in the Caribbean and England and we wanted to make it clear we will do everything we can to help,” Grave said.
The England cricket team was supposed to play Sri Lanka in a Test series later this month but the tour was cancelled due to the outbreak. The English Cricket Board has suspended all forms of cricket as a safety measure against coronavirus, and that may affect their participation in the IPL which is scheduled to begin from April 15.