Root likely to miss Pakistan, WI Test series

ISLAMABAD: All-rounder Ben Stokes could be seen leading the England Test team instead of Joe Root if the summer season goes ahead with the changes that are being contemplated by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

An ECB decision states that all the selected players will have to stay with the team for all six Tests — three each against West Indies and Pakistan. However, Root could likely miss the series as his wife is expecting their second child in July or August.

The series is set to be held in a bio-secure environment. According to a UK-based daily, Root has approached the ECB saying that it would not be easy for him to get into quarantine twice and stay away from his family till the conclusion of the Test series. It is now expected that Vice-Captain Stokes will take over the reins of England team.

“One of the issues the couple have discussed is whether or not the hospital would allow Root to be present there. A lot will depend on the situation of virus in UK at that time,” revea­l­ed a sports channel in the UK.

England’s Test squad will be happy to stay in the hotels located near the Ageas Bowl in Southampton and Emirates Old Trafford for several weeks at a time to get matches played and accept the need for regular COVID-19 testing.

“If it was a possibility, could I get to the birth? Would I then be in isolation for two weeks? Would I be able to be tested? Who knows exactly how that would look? We have to make sure there is no chance of anyone getting ill,” Root said on Sky Sports.

“Whether scheduling allows getting the players in and out of the bubble safely so they can see family we will have to wait and see. I suppose we have to be flexible and move with what’s happening.”

“If the game is compromised, it shouldn’t be going ahead,” Root added.

“The game itself, the intensity it is played at — if you can’t play Test cricket at its absolute best we shouldn’t play it. It’s not a fair reflection. I’d like to think the product itself and the standard of Test cricket would not be compromised to play these games.

“One thing made very clear by the ECB to the players, coaching staff and everyone involved is that the safety of everyone is at the front of it all. Teams also have to be willing to come here and play — there are so many moving parts.”

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials are expected to go into negotiations with the ECB counterparts over the weekend to discuss the details. The ECB has already proposed holding all the six Tests on two venues — a decision that has yet to get PCB’s backings.