Stokes fears England players could miss out on the Hundred due to Covid-19

Ben Stokes has said it would be devastating if England’s Test players are unable to play in the inaugural edition of the Hundred due to the threat of Covid-19 complications.

The rising number of cases nationwide leaves the England and Wales Cricket Board facing a logistical nightmare during the second half of the summer, with positive results in some instances forcing entire squads to isolate for 10 days until the government protocols change on 16 August.

The issue has already seen an entirely new England squad in place for the one-day series against Pakistan that wraps up on Tuesday – Stokes’s side sit 2-0 up – while Derbyshire were the latest county to be hit when a positive case forced their County Championship fixture against Essex to be abandoned.

There are fears the Hundred will also be affected when it launches on 21 July, with squads unlikely to be in bubbles. It leaves the ECB pondering whether to withdraw Test players from the first 10 days of the tournament to prevent any positive cases impacting the five-match India series that starts on 4 August and is worth £100m in home broadcast revenues.

“It would be very frustrating to not be able to participate,” said Stokes, who is leading England’s current one-day team and is down to play for Northern Superchargers in the new 100-ball competition.

“It’s a massive event for England and we want to be part of it. We know how big a role players play in making a franchise competition big and if the Test players were unable to play in it because of Covid, that would be pretty devastating.”

The ECB is looking to expedite second doses of the Covid-19 vaccine for its players given that, after the second Test finishes on 16 August, anyone who is double-jabbed will not have to isolate if deemed a close contact of a positive case. India’s players received their first dose before arriving in the UK last month, with the ECB assisting with their follow-ups.

Though there will not be a return to the stringent and expensive biosecure set-ups of last summer, there is a growing expectation that both teams will again be separated from the outside world. Such a move is not without a cost of its own, however, given the strain this places on individuals.

Stokes said: “I have no doubt things have had to go back to the drawing board. Everything is to ensure the safety of players and backroom staff. Nothing is set in stone for the India series, but it will be done in the right way.

“You have to make sacrifices but at the same time have to consider welfare, because bubble life is very tough. Going from hotel to cricket ground can get to you, so there is a lot to think about: A – keeping everyone safe and B – that we’re being looked after from the mental side.”

In the short term Stokes is looking for his makeshift England team to claim maximum ODI Super League points by completing a 3-0 series win over Pakistan on Tuesday at Edgbaston, where it is hoped an 80% capacity crowd will wear blue and raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK in memory of Bob Willis.

The 16 players currently isolating will be free from Wednesday, in time for selection for the T20 series that starts at Trent Bridge on Friday night, although a stand-in player such as Saqib Mahmood, who has claimed six wickets in the last two ODIs, could yet enter thoughts.

Stokes added: “Saqi coming in and being the senior bowler has done him the world of good. From a [first-choice] England player point of view, it’s another player that lads will have to look over their shoulder for.”

England (possible): Phil Salt, Dawid Malan, Zak Crawley, James Vince, Ben Stokes (c), John Simpson (w), Lewis Gregory, Craig Overton, Brydon Carse, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson

Pakistan (possible): Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan (w), Saud Shakeel, Sohaib Maqsood, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

source: theguardian.com