The veteran English fast bowler, James Anderson has thanked the West Indies team for taking the “scary decision” to tour England, with Britain suffering from the most number of coronavirus deaths in Europe. More than 40,000 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 in Britain’s outbreak so far. On Tuesday, the West Indies arrived in Manchester for the three-match series which will be played behind closed doors at Southampton from July 8 and signal the return of international cricket after the virus lockdown.

Talking about the same during the press conference, Anderson said, “I think it’s great for the game, brilliant that we’re closing in on getting some Test cricket played after a decent lay-off.”

International cricket is central to funding all levels of the game, with the England and Wales Cricket Board estimating it could lose 252 million pounds ($320 million) if no matches of any kind were scheduled this season. Three West Indies players decided to pull out of the tour. The second and third matches will take place later in July at Old Trafford, Anderson’s Lancashire home ground, and the West Indies’ current bio-secure base. 

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At the age of 37, Anderson is moving towards the end of his illustrious career and the past year has seen him miss games through injury, notably a broken rib.

However, Anderson said he had maintained a decent level of fitness during the lockdown and was looking fitter while bowling in the nets again. But he accepted a series spanning just 21 days might mean England having to make the most of their pool of fast bowlers.

The veteran pacer explained, “There are concerns — we’re not going to have had any competitive cricket before that first Test match and we’ve got three Tests in quick succession, so there are obviously things we need to look at in terms of workloads and whether we play all three as bowlers or whether we rotate.”

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James Anderson further added, “I’m sure the medical staff and coaches are doing their due diligence on that. It’s something we’ll have to look at in a few weeks’ time but at the moment I’m enjoying being back and feeling really good.”