Well-respected Trinidad and Tobago television broadcaster, Ian Bishop believes it would be in the best financial interest of Cricket West Indies (CWI) and regional players to take up the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) offer of the three-Test series in the United Kingdom this July.
The series was postponed from the original 4th to 29th June dates because of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, but now seems poised to go ahead under a new suite of radical safety proposals aimed at mitigating the health threat.
Bishop, who played 43 Tests between 1989 and 1998 for the West Indies, said he believed both CWI and the ECB would only proceed with the tour after getting the best medical advice possible.
Reports emerged this week that CWI had identified a 30-man training squad for the tour, though the governing body subsequently clarified this was only to “help with the planning and logistics of flying to the UK” in the event the series was approved.
Under ECB proposals, the tour would be played at “bio-secure” facilities like Manchester, Southampton, and Leeds which boast hotels on location.
Teams would also undergo strict isolation, quarantine, and testing protocols, prior to and during the series.
Bishop, who played 43 Tests between 1989 and 1998, said he believed both CWI and ECB would only proceed with the tour after getting the best medical advice possible.
The UK has been one of the hardest-hit regions with 237,000 infections and nearly 34,000 deaths. The outbreak forced the ECB to postpone the start of its domestic season until May 28.
Bishop said it was important cricket officials understood the fluid nature of the pandemic and made the requisite adjustments.
