Manchester: Fast-bowler James Anderson said the hosts are grateful that West Indies agreed to make the ‘scary’ trip to England for the upcoming three-match Test series amid coronavirus pandemic.
The first Test of the much-anticipated series will be played on July 8 at the Ageas Bowl, followed by two Tests at Old Trafford on July 16 and July 24.
This series will mark the return of international cricket after all sport was suspended in March. Anderson stated that it must have been a very difficult decision for them to make considering the virus threat.
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, Anderson was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
‘With what’s going on in the world I can imagine it’s a scary decision for a lot of them, for all of them, to make the journey over.’
Anderson, who had been out of the game since injuring his rib during the South Africa tour in January, also stated that he felt good during training and is looking forward to the series.
‘I’m fine, really good at the minute. Training has been going really well. I managed to tick over quite well during lockdown,’ Anderson said.
Luckily I’ve got enough space to fit half my run-up in on my drive. So when I came back to training at Lancashire it’s not been going in cold, I’ve been ticking over. I felt like I hit the ground running pretty well. I’ve enjoyed being back.’
West Indies players’ touched down in England on Tuesday after having arrived in Antigua, from the two charter planes that collected the players and staff from their home country throughout the day.