Safety is paramount as international cricket is set to resume with the England-West Indies Test series on July 8 after a lengthy COVID-19 hiatus. Therefore, ICC came up with multiple guidelines last month.
Regular hand sanitising when in contact with the ball, no loo or shower breaks while training, minimising time spent in the changing room before and after a game, no use of saliva on the ball and no handing over of personal items (cap, sunglasses, towels) to fellow teammates or the on-field umpires are among the other guidelines issued by the apex body.
No wonder, cricket fans are eager to see how the game will look in the post COVID-19 era and they got a glimpse of it during the opening day of the three-day intra-squad practice match between Team Buttler and Team Stokes at the Ageas Bowl on Wednesday (July 1).
Veteran England pacer James Anderson made his mark straightaway as he got the ball moving both ways and claimed two wickets at less than 3 runs per over while playing for Team Stokes on Day 1.
Apart from his bowling brilliance, the 37-year-old Anderson hogged the limelight with his celebration after taking wickets.
There were no hugs or high-fives as Anderson made sure that the physical distancing norms are being followed.
Anderson used his elbow to celebrate without touching his teammates. England's leading wicket-taker was also spotted using hand sanitiser in between overs during the practice match.
