On Thursday, England captain Joe Root has said he is “very optimistic” to see Test cricket take place in England this year.  Earlier, ECB was forced to postpone and cancel West Indies and Pakistan’s tour due to the outbreak of CoronaVirus.

Root said international matches could yet be salvaged f if the British government relaxed down on the lockdown rules. IF that doesn’t happen England will otherwise have a barren campaign in the end.

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Speaking with Sky Sports, Root said, “I’m very optimistic, hopefully, that can be the case and it would be a real shame if it wasn’t. I think a number of people are desperate to see live sport back on telly. The guys are all very much missing playing and would love to get back out there.”

Root also praised the input of ECB medics for the safety of players from COVID-19. He said, “Safety is paramount and we need to make sure everyone involved is absolutely safe. I’m sure the discussions will progress and we’ll get more information and get closer and closer to cricket being back on and international cricket being played.”

One option to play international matches is to have them at least possible venues. Stadiums like Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl and Lancashire’s Old Trafford are the perfect choices in England. Those stadiums have their on-site hotels, offer ‘bio-security’  also.  But it could put a strain on players’ private and family lives as they won’t be able to go home between matches. However, Root feels everyone can cope up with that.

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“It would be the playing group and management. We will be almost in your own little house throughout and almost in isolation together. Not interacting with the opposition, broadcasting crews, officials, or media. It’d be a very different look at how a normal Test week would go. The environment we work in but I do think it’d probably be manageable and hopefully, that’s the case,” Root explained.