New ball game

Officials of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) heaved a huge sigh of relief as the West Indies cricket team landed in Manchester on June 9 for a three-Test series. It had scarcely been believed possible some weeks ago, but as things stand, the ECB finds its financial losses curtailed.

This will be a completely different kind of a tour, with empty stands, new rules, and different logistics. In the second category, use of saliva to shine the ball will be penalised five runs per incident after two warnings; like-for-like substitutions will be allowed if players show symptoms of Covid-19,