England team chief expects delay to West Indies series

England cricket team chief Ashley Giles has forecast a significant delay to home series against West Indies in June should coronavirus relent sufficiently to allow three Tests to go ahead. county championship, comprising four-day matches, was due to start on Sunday but English cricket is shut down until at least May 28, with expectation of furr postponements. England are meant to play a three-Test series against West Indies in June, with opening match at Oval starting on June 4.

But England team director Giles told reporters in a conference call on Thursday: " deadline of May 28 still stands but it's looking less and less likely that we're going to be out re in June.

"We have to look at alternatives."

Following visit of West Indies, England are meant to play home series against Pakistan, Australia and Ireland as well.

"We are looking at scenarios where we can push those matches back as far as possible without losing any cricket," said Giles.

"Wher eventually games start falling off calendar right w we don't kw.

"If we can't get it all, it's really important we work in partnership with all or boards to fulfil those fixtures but with a priority on keeping people safe." 

Squad match idea

Meanwhile former England spinner said an intra-squad match similar to one Australia played before last year's Ashes could serve as a warm-up fixture for his side if season can get underway. With Britain currently in lockdown, players cant go straight from ir homes into international arena. "From a playing point of view certainly, I think we'll need to play a couple of warm-up games," Giles said. "y could be behind closed doors, y could be among England players -- ne of us really kw until we get re." Following last year's one-day World Cup in England, Australians played a three-day 12-a-side match at Southampton as ir sole warm-up fixture for Ashes.

Australia coach Justin Langer n settled on his squad and saw tourists hammer England in first Test at Edgbaston by 251 runs, although five-match series ended in a 2-2 draw. England mselves benefitted from a similar fixture when ir Twenty20 side lost a practice match to ir own second string in Abu Dhabi in 2010. As a result, batsmen Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter forced ir way into senior team that went on to win that's year's World Twenty20 in Caribbean.

Giles, asked about an intra-squad match, replied: "If we had to, I think that would be a decent way around a problem if we weren't playing cricket more broadly. I think we could do that." Giles added he was also open to possibility of England's Test and one-day teams playing at same time if that was best way to fulfil fixtures in a shortened season. "We have got eugh depth where we can split our resources but we haven't got that far," he said. 

Im credits: AP