Test cricket returns on Wednesday when England take on West Indies in the biosecure bubble of the Ageas Bowl.
Here, former England captain Nasser Hussain and former England coach David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd answer the big questions ahead of an eagerly anticipated three-Test series.
England’s intra-squad game at an empty Ageas Bowl in Southampton last week
How different will this series be for everyone involved?
Nasser Hussain: It’s hugely important because the eyes of the world will be on this Test to see how cricket copes with Covid and what goes with it.
The players will have to buy into it — the social distancing, lack of saliva on the ball and the lack of crowds. We could all highlight what won’t be there, but I think everyone is just grateful for live Test cricket.
As commentators, we will check in on Tuesday and won’t leave the bubble until the end of the Test. We’ll commentate from a distance and may even go back to our hotel rooms between stints to watch the game from our balconies.
We are going to give people the option of crowd noise in the form of a Lord’s ‘hum’.
David Lloyd: The grounds will be empty but West Indies are used to playing a lot of Tests with very few in. That’s not to say there won’t be enormous interest. We will be working in isolation as commentators, so we won’t be able to feed off anybody else and there will be hardly anybody in the box, but I’ll be looking at my monitor and getting on with the job as usual.
The players will have to buy into it the changes Covid-19 will have on the game
Have you got concerns about Test cricket in this environment?
Bumble: I had a lot of apprehension about working in this environment but I can honestly say I’ve changed my mind. I’ve had that many Zoom calls with Sky and the ECB that I’m now very happy with it.
I’ve been told I’m in the safest environment in the country. I’m not doing Southampton, but when we go to Manchester I will stay in the bubble and go home after the Test, even though I only live up the road. We have an obligation to get this show on the road and I want to play my part.
Nasser: Nothing beats the inter-action of the crowd, so of course we want to get back to normality, but for now this will have to do and we have seen with football that you get used to it.
And the players will be playing for their country, so nothing will change for them. The Wisden Trophy is up for grabs and no one will remember in years to come that there wasn’t a crowd.
Both Nasser Hussain (left) and David Lloyd (centre) are confident it’s a safe environment
Would you have done anything different with England’s squad?
Nasser: The selectors have done well to show faith in the players who performed so well in South Africa. If this game had taken place just after Johannesburg, would there have been changes? I think not.
But I’m pleased they have shown in their reserve list that players will be pushed for their places. In Dan Lawrence, Ollie Robinson and James Bracey, England have three newcomers who are challenging and it’s a big game for Zak Crawley and Joe Denly, because Joe Root will come back in Manchester.
Denly reminds me of James Vince. He looks great and then gets out. He’s got to start converting these 30s and 40s into hundreds.
Bumble: I would have done it differently. Zak Crawley is a very good player, but he’s an opener and it looks like he’s batting at four. Jonny Bairstow has six Test hundreds and in the warm-up game he batted at four. Now he doesn’t even make the reserves and I find that very odd.
Yes, he averaged 18 in 2019. But England had an opportunity to get him back in form and they haven’t taken it. They have also said he’s not the second keeper, either, but I think his keeping has come on in leaps and bounds.
If England wanted a No 4 other than Bairstow, how about Lawrence? He is a No 4! Again, this was an opportunity to play a lad who is going to be a Test player. And Lawrence is a Test player, no question.
Jonny Bairstow batted at four in the warm up but now doesn’t even make the reserves
Who would you leave out of the England 13 and do you expect to see a lot of rotation?
Bumble: Out of the 13 they’ve picked, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood don’t play. Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad play, that’s a given. Jofra Archer plays and they will rotate him with Wood.
I’m sure that would have been explained to them. When you have strength like England, you’re not losing anything. I am expecting unprecedented rotation in this series.
Nasser: This is more tricky. A lot will be made of the first Test selection, but the bowlers are going to be rotated. I would start with Anderson and Broad because they deserve it. Then I’d leave Woakes out and pick one of Wood or Archer.
I’d probably go for Wood because he bowled very well in his last two Tests in South Africa, but Archer is a serious bowler so I’d have no problem with him instead.
Bowler Mark Wood performed very well in his last two England Tests in South Africa
Will Stokes succeed where Botham and Flintoff didn’t as captain?
Nasser: It’s unfair to say just because Botham and Flintoff didn’t do it, Stokes won’t. I would just worry about his workload if he ever became full-time captain. The England captaincy always weighs people down.
A one-off Test is fine. Ben has a fantastic cricket brain and he will be attacking and smart. It will be obvious who is in charge.
Bumble: Ben Stokes is one impressive bloke and a massive team player. Without being detrimental to Beefy or Freddie, he is also as fit as they come and has tremendous discipline.
This team will run through brick walls for him and he has three very good lieutenants in Jos Buttler, Anderson and Broad.
Ben knows he’s standing in for Joe Root. He’s very loyal. He won’t be pushing for the job full-time.
Ben Stokes will be captaining the side with skipper Joe Root at home with his family
What threat do West Indies pose and who will star?
Bumble: They are emerging again. They have an excellent captain in Jason Holder, which is important, and they have the right backroom people: Jimmy Adams and Phil Simmons as director of cricket and coach. They will have a potent attack and I’m intrigued to see if Rahkeem Cornwall plays. He’s a one-off.
Nasser: They are a threat, especially the bowling. With Shannon Gabriel alongside Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph and Holder (left), nobody is going to get easy runs.
But the batting looks flimsy with no Darren Bravo or Shimron Hetmyer. Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite will have to repeat their Headingley form of last time.
Jason Holder has been impressive. How highly you rate him?
Nasser: One thing I do know about Holder and this West Indies side — if they have a point to prove, they are doubly dangerous. You just have to see their reaction to comments made by Colin Graves and Geoff Boycott in recent times, or going back to Tony Greig. When I interviewed Jason for Sportsmail I walked away thinking, ‘What an impressive man’.
He pointed out himself that he doesn’t get enough recognition for being the No 1 ranked all-rounder in the world.
The thing for him is getting runs. He’s coming back from injury and needs to hit the ground running, but Holder is a very dangerous all-rounder.
Bumble: I know Clive Lloyd well and it was his call to make Jason captain when he was West Indies manager.
Clive saw himself in Holder. He saw a leader and it is one of the best moves West Indies have made in a long time.
It’s a bit like when South Africa made Graeme Smith captain. They were both young when given the job, but they both had the character and the strength to make a success of it.
Jason Holder has garnered a reputation as one of the best all-rounders in the world
Phil DeFreitas said he had death threats on England duty? Did you see any racism and can the game do more?
Bumble: I saw one example of it when I was England coach. One of my great friends, Mark Butcher, came off the field absolutely distraught. It was only years later I found out why.
He’d been racially abused on the field. But Butch wanted to keep who did that to himself and still does. When I listened to DeFreitas, Mark Alleyne and Ebony Rainford-Brent on a podcast, I felt a real sadness at their experiences. How can that sort of thing still go on?
I feel so strongly about this that if it happens now we need to call people out. We cannot put up with anything like this any longer. Just see people. Not their colour.
Nasser: Where I was brought up in East London, we would be at the Ilford Cricket School on a Sunday morning and there would be kids from every background.
The Essex and England teams I played in were always multi- cultural. There was probably more overt racism in society in my playing days than now but not in our teams.
I am a person of colour and I had some racism in my career with my name. I might be fielding near the boundary and someone would shout, ‘Oi Saddam, f*** off back to Iraq’. But I am also a whiteish, middle-class English public schoolboy, so I just cannot imagine what some of the players have been through.
It was incredible Daffy kept that to himself and it just shows what did go on then and clearly still does. I don’t see colour. I just see a person. That’s all you can hope for from everyone and I’m fully behind the shows of support for Black Lives Matter both teams will be making in this series. I am not a political person at all. I will be supporting the message.
Phil DeFreitas (right) revealed that he had death threats during his time on England duty
Series predictions?
Nasser: England are very difficult to beat at home and West Indies haven’t won here for a long time, so I’m going for an England win — but you’d be a fool to write off West Indies because they thrive on being written off.
Bumble: It won’t be straightforward for England. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a stalemate.
Bear in mind that two of the three Tests are at Old Trafford, arguably the best cricket pitch in England. It will spin. The slow bowlers could win this series.
Note to selectors. Where is Adil Rashid? Last time I saw him, he was bowling the best I’ve ever seen. He could play a big part in this series if they pick him.