CRICKET TO HAVE FULL HOUSES, IF BORIS HOLDS NERVE
England to ban term for squad’s biosecurity and include psychologist in selection meetings
CRICKET fans are set to enjoy a vintage summer with the Government hoping to permit full houses at grounds with a capacity under 30,000 from June 21 — provided there is no significant spread in cases of the Indian Covid variant. Such a move would be a major boost for the ECB, whose finances have been decimated by the pandemic, with losses for last year forecast to be more than £100million. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed yesterday that the easing of restrictions on Monday would go ahead as planned, but admitted any further spread of the Indian variant could make it ‘more difficult to move to step four in June’ — when the Government plans to fully open venues including sports grounds. The £98million renovation of the Compton and Edrich Stands at
Lord’s has taken the iconic ground’s capacity to 31,000, but if the Government’s plans come to fruition, all venues should be able to operate as normal by the end of next month. The relaxation will come too late for England’s Tests against New Zealand at Edgbaston and Lord’s, but most of the summer schedule should take place in front of packed stands. England are due to begin a Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka on June 23 and play the same opponents in three one-day internationals, with « Pakistan getting six white-ball
matches, before the summer climaxes with a five-match Test series against India. The situation is complicated by the fact that the first two T20s against Sri Lanka are in Cardiff. Wales has tougher restrictions than England, with capacity at those games likely to be capped at 4,000. The plans will also be a major boost for the 18 counties, enabling most of the money-spinning T20 Blast to be played in front of packed crowds. The ECB will be relieved, too, at the prospect of bumper ticket sales for their new Hundred competition, which begins with a women’s clash between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals on July 21 before the men’s sides meet the following day. The Government are working with the Events Research Programme to arrange the return of crowds, with Mr Johnson due to be updated after today’s FA Cup final, with 21,000 fans at Wembley. Cricket is likely to be the major beneficiary of the relaxation because of its smaller stadiums. The FA are resigned to operating Wembley at 50 per cent capacity for the duration of the European Championship, including the final on July 12, and the RFU may have to accept a restricted capacity for England’s games against the USA and Canada at Twickenham.
ENGLAND want to ban the word ‘ bubble’ over concerns about the negative impact on their players of sustained spells cocooned at grounds in biosecure conditions.
More than a year of living and playing in bubbles has taken its toll on England’s leading cricketers, with their IPL stars — who end their spell in Government quarantine tonight — being hit particularly hard.
Now Ashley Giles, who has had a delicate balancing act to ensure the England show goes on during the Covid era, wants to get away from using a term that has become synonymous with being confined for weeks on end in an unnatural atmosphere.
Instead, the managing director of the England team will talk about ‘controlled team environments’ when the squad picked by new supremo Chris Silverwood meet for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s on June 2.
England expect the biosecure arrangements — so successfully implemented by the ECB last summer — to largely remain, at least for the early part of this season.
But instead of going into a bubble, the squad named on Tuesday will live at home for five days under controlled conditions before meeting in a London hotel for a further five days.
Emphasis on the demands on players’ mental health will extend this season to the presence of a sports psychologist in selection meetings for the first time.
When Giles convenes the first meeting at Loughborough on Monday since the sacking of national selector Ed Smith, he will be joined not only by Silverwood and captain Joe Root, but a number of specialists including one of England’s two psychologists — David Young and James Bickley. They will report on the mental readiness of each player.
Coach Silverwood will have the final word on selection and is expected to name a 16-man party for both Tests, with all the IPL players left out and told they should not play for their counties in the round of matches that begins on Thursday.
It is likely paceman Jofra Archer will be excluded even if he comes through his return for Sussex against Kent without aggravating his troublesome right elbow, because England are determined to protect their prize fast-bowling asset.
In the absence of the injured Ben Stokes and the rested Chris Woakes and Sam Curran, both Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson, outstanding with the ball in the County Championship this season, look sure to be included in the squad.
Then they are set to battle it out for the No 8 position of a bowler who can bat, vacated by Woakes.
England will give opener Dom Sibley every chance to prove he has recovered from a small fracture of a finger by returning for Warwickshire next week against Essex.
If he does not come through that, then James Bracey will make his Test debut.
Meanwhile Silverwood, who has been involved in every day of every England bubble, will miss the one- day series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan this season to recharge his batteries.
In his absence, assistants Graham Thorpe and Paul Collingwood will be in charge for one series each.
Surrey chief executive Richard Gould, one of the most successful and forwardthinking administrators in cricket, is to leave the game to join Bristol City.