Covid-19 impacted the game of Cricket across the world just like it impacted everything else. The practices and matches were cancelled. The last cricket match was played in March, between Australia and New Zealand in Sydney without any audience. The ban on saliva has also been imposed ever since the global pandemic halted cricket games after March.

Is There Light At the End of the Tunnel?

Cricket fans really look forward to their favorite cricket tournament every year. They really appreciate their favorite players’ performances every single year. But Covid-19 isn’t going to favor everyone’s wishes and desires. However, the bright sun rose in July, when the British Cricket board announced test matches to be held against the team of West Indies. Now everyone waited for approval by UK government which was granted eventually. This was a green signal for the other cricket teams to resume their practice, but with further instructions and regulations.

Everything Comes At the Cost of Prevention

It’s pretty amazing to see the cricket players back on the field, playing cricket and resuming the sport for other. However, everyone has to stay focused and observe the regulations imposed. Firstly, it’s extremely important for the players not to apply saliva on the cricket ball i.e. a saliva ban has been imposed. The pacers and fast bowlers can no longer make use of their tricks anymore. After the arrival of West Indies in England for the match, the bags, luggage etc. were sanitized and disinfected. Moreover before the players can play, they’ll have to stay in isolation for some days in order to get checked in case they have Corona Virus. Face masks are another very important requirement which needs to be fulfilled by every player.

 

Top Cricket teams to play cricket next:

·      Team England’s Cricket Resumption:

The cricket team of England was the first one to resume international cricket after it had been halted. After getting accepted by the UK government, the English Cricket Team played a test match with West Indies .After playing the test series with West Indies, Pakistan is the second one in the row to play the test match. For the entire period, the SOPs will be taken care of and the players won’t be able to meet their families.

The temperature is being checked regularly and the players are allowed to switch after regular intervals. Given the fact that their entry into the cricket field after the hiatus has proven fruitful, now certainly the progress of England in cricket will be pretty well.

·      Australia’s Situation:

Australia, has been doing pretty well, and is scantily affected by Corona. The cases are just a few. This gives an edge to those who will play cricket. The practice camps have been launched and the players are practicing under the given regulations. However, the country has not been as well economically and laid off many people in their cricket board due to the lack of funds. The country is more focused on playing home series than having to play T-20 World Cup, in Australia, by October.

·      India’s Situation:

The Indian Premier League (IPL), is one of the most famous cricket tournaments to be hosted In India. But recently, this has not been the case. After the hit of Corona Virus, IPL got postponed and could not be fit into the cricketing schedule this year. After many different periods of deliberation, the Indian government has finally reached a decision. It has been decided that first India will head over to Australia for the ODI series. The team will be sent under complete consideration.

Before going to Australia, the Indian players will be tested. After coming back from Australia, they will be tested again for Corona Virus. If tested negative, they will be allowed to train immediately. Otherwise a two week quarantine will be compulsory for them. Soon after arriving from Australia, the Indian Cricket Team has to prepare as the English Cricket Team will be coming over to India for cricket tournaments. However, this entire situation is still pretty much uncertain and unpredictable.

·      Pakistan’s Situation:

Pakistan is about to take the cricket world by storm through their entry to the cricket field. Before this, Pakistan was engulfed terribly by Corona Virus. But now, the good news is that Pakistani government is looking forward to giving Pakistani players an opportunity to play.

 

Critical Dates

The critical dates for the matches will mark September as their starting point. In September, Pakistani Cricket Team will be going to Sri Lanka for test matches. After that, Pakistani Cricket Team will be going to Australia for cricket tournaments. The interesting thing is that Sri Lanka too will be coming to Pakistan for the T-20 and one day matches in December as well.

 

Future Plans

If the above mentioned events take place with ease and have positive repercussions, the Pakistani Cricket Team may be able to have Bangladesh over and play test matches with them. This should be followed by a bilateral series. Later on, the contacts and engagement with other countries is expected to flourish so that the international cricket functions the say way it did back when Corona wasn’t a thing.

For security and health concerns, the Australian and English Cricket Team authority will come and visit Pakistan. In case of India, the officials of Pakistani Cricket are looking forward to playing with them. However, bilateral Cricket with India is expected to resume soon with dignity and utmost correlation.

 

Final Word

After Corona, things have surely come to an uncertain halt and the normalcy will take its time. Till then, the Sports World is trying to come back to normal as the no. of cases and the entire situation is easing up a little bit. The dates and events are still uncertain but one can always look forward to any chances of watching cricket. To stay updated, you can always check the most up to date news from ICC Cricket Schedule.