New ball game

Officials of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) heaved a huge sigh of relief as the West Indies cricket team landed in Manchester on June 9 for a three-Test series. It had scarcely been believed possible some weeks ago, but as things stand, the ECB finds its financial losses curtailed.

This will be a completely different kind of a tour, with empty stands, new rules, and different logistics. In the second category, use of saliva to shine the ball will be penalised five runs per incident after two warnings; like-for-like substitutions will be allowed if players show symptoms of Covid-19, with the match referee adjudicating; and an additional DRS review will be permitted to each team in the absence of neutral umpires.

The logistics are also substantially altered. The Caribbean players will be kept in a biosecure bubble. Given the squad now has 25-30 players to meet contingencies, this will take some arranging. Gone will be the frenetic pace of tours we have got used to. The West Indies will be in England for seven weeks to play the three Tests. Of these, four will be spent in quarantine and in training before the first match in Ageas Bowl near Southampton on July 8. After that the squad will travel back to Manchester to play back-to-back Tests at Old Trafford.

Nevertheless, the show will have been put on the road, following the resumption of the Premier League on June 17. Sport will be back on television, even if folks will not be able to go to the stadiums. The twin prospects have lightened the mood of the nation, it is being said.

But as far as the Test series is concerned, the question is whether this will become the template for the not-so-short term. And if it does, what are the implications? Beyond the internal dynamics of the game, of which more in a bit, there is the question of expense, time, and logistics. Take the questions of time and scheduling. If cricket tours have to be played like this, a lot less cricket will end up getting played.

If a three-Test series in a relatively compact country like the UK takes seven weeks to complete, think of how long a series in India fitting in, say, two Tests, three One-Day Internationals, and three T20 Internationals will take. Assuming you wouldn’t be able to get away playing at just two venues, you’d really have to figure out a schedule that would cut the travel to save expenses and keep intact the integrity of the biosecure bubble. Still, it would probably take nine or ten weeks to complete — say, 65 days, or over two months.

Then there’s the question of expense. It’s been reported that the ECB is facing mounting bills to host the tour on account of the size of the squad, and the need for secure travel and accommodation. On travel alone, it has incurred £400,000 on chartering private craft — and that’s just for a round trip between Manchester and Southampton. Imagine the cost of chartering craft for multiple trips between, say, Kolkata, Patna, Cuttack, and Guwahati. As for accommodation, biosecurity probably involves taking over entire hotels.

As for cricket, there will be some ticklish issues, as well. Is it either fair, for example, or feasible to expect that players will be suddenly able to cure themselves of the habit of shining the ball with saliva so easily? Probably not. Which is why the International Cricket Council’s guidelines say that in the initial stages the umpire “will manage the situation with some leniency”. Then again the suspension of the practice of deploying neutral umpires, who have become central to the game, may not work very easily despite the extra DRS appeal. Will this bring back to the game the controversies of ancient times?

The argument in this respect is probably that wrinkles will get sorted out as the game proceeds. All participants will have to try to work the new rules in a spirit of compromise. Take the resumption of football in Germany. One of the conditions imposed was that goal celebrations would have to be conducted keeping in mind the principle of physical distancing. Offhand, would you believe it would work? Leaving aside stray infractions, it has, however. Most goal celebrations have been physically distanced.

One lot of people will, however, have big headaches. Selectors. Picking balanced squads of 25 to 30 keeping in mind the necessity of providing adequate cover for all positions and skill sets won’t be a picnic. And at the business end, should substitutions have to be made in the course of a match, captains and coaches will have a hard time picking their men in the context of the game.

No one said it would be easy. If the entertainment and spectacle of sport has to be back in business, these challenges will have to be met.