The England Test summer turned out much better than anyone could have imagined and the ECB should be applauded. It’s been a mighty effort to pull together the bio-secure conditions under such a tight time frame in one of the worst-hit countries for the coronavirus.
The success of the bubble has provided a template for the sport to navigate through the global pandemic and the blueprint will be replicated in just about every major league and international series worldwide.
West Indies and Pakistan, too, deserve praise and there has been much appreciated for their efforts to persist through the logistical nightmare and mental fatigue of bubble cricket. Understandably, both teams fell away at the backend after such lengthy periods essentially confined to cricket grounds but the results were almost inconsequential.
It’s time for England to reciprocate the goodwill. “I think it would have been easy for us to say ‘no thanks’,” Cricket West Indies chief executive Johnny Grave told me. “We feel like we have a duty to the sport and an obligation for the World Test Championship.”
With so much financial uncertainty hovering over the game, there is fear from smaller cricket nations that the powerhouses of Australia, India, and England will be further incentivized to play each other even more.
This story is from the August 30, 2020 edition of The Cricket Paper.
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This story is from the August 30, 2020 edition of The Cricket Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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