Next month’s Test series between England and West Indies remains well on course to go ahead after more than 700 coronavirus tests of key stakeholders did not return a single positive result.
Between June 3-23, a total of 702 tests were carried out on players, coaches, officials and venue staff at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl and Lancashire’s Old Trafford, the two bio-secure grounds which will stage games during the three-match series. The ECB confirmed that all 702 were negative.
West Indies arrived in the UK earlier this month and this week stepped up their preparations for the series – which begins on July 8 – with an intra-squad match at Old Trafford, where they have been based.
Meanwhile, 30 England players arrived at the Ageas Bowl on Tuesday, where they will begin group training and hold a three-day practice match starting on July 1, before the squad is cut to 20 ahead of the First Test.
The news of the negative tests is a welcome boost, coming the day after a further seven members of Pakistan’s proposed squad to tour England later in the summer tested positive for the virus.
In total, ten Pakistan players have now tested positive, but PCB chief executive Wasim Khan insists those who have tested negative will still fly to England on Sunday to begin their preparations for the Test and T20 series.
