Joe Root to miss 1st Test against WI to be available for the birth of his second child

English Test skipper Joe Root will be missing the first Test against the West Indies that gets underway on July 8 due to family commitments i.e to be available for the birth of his second child. His deputy i.e. the star all-rounder Ben Stokes will be the stand-in captain for the Test match. This was officially confirmed by England Cricket on their official Twitter handle. 

The first of the three-match Test series will be played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. As per reports of Cricbuzz, the star batsman will leave the English team's pre-series training camp at Southampton on Wednesday to be with his better half Carrie and once the 2019 World Cup winner leaves the hospital, he will have to observe a seven-day isolation period at home before joining the English squad ahead of the second Test match at Old Trafford that will be played on July 13. 

West Indies tour of England 2020

Meanwhile, all the cricketing events have either been postponed or canceled since the month of March due to the global pandemic. The cricketing action will get underway when England and the West Indies lock horns in a three-match Test series starting from July 8. All the matches will be played behind closed doors. The Windies players have already reached England and have started training for the upcoming bilateral series. The first Test match will be played at the Rosebowl Cricket Ground (8-12 July) while the second and third Test matches will be played at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground (16-20 July), while the third and final Test will be played at the same venue as well (24-28 July).

READ: Phil Simmons Says He Was Racially Abused When He Was Playing League Cricket In England

(Image Courtesy: AP)