West Indies’ tour to England is effort for normalcy amid COVID-19: Holder

PTI, Jun 11, 2020, 12:09 PM IST

London:  West Indies captain Jason Holder says coming to England for a Test series in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic is neither dictated by money nor a sense of adventurism but the move is a genuine effort to bring back normalcy.

West Indies players arrived in the UK on Tuesday, June 9 for a three-match Test series, starting July 8 at Southampton in a bio-secure environment. It will be cricket’s first international engagement since mid-March when the coronavirus pandemic halted all sporting action.

“A lot of people were crying out for cricket. It is not the case we wanted to be guinea pigs but, having said that we always had a tour plan here in the UK this summer. After we spoke about the possibilities of it coming off, everybody was comfortable and here we are now,” Holder told ‘BBC Sport’.

The impact of coronavirus pandemic has been much severe in the UK where more than 40,000 deaths have been. In the Caribbean, however, only a few hundred cases have emerged.

Holder said that the reason for their arrival is not money and that they won’t compromise on health.

“It is not about money for us – we want safety and want to make sure we are treated fairly and we just get on with it,” Holder said.

“If you put yourself in the position of a healthcare worker or someone who has worked on the front line throughout this whole pandemic, they have not had the opportunity to sit back at home and run from the virus. We are fortunate we have not been in that position but having said that, at some point in time you have to make an effort to get back to some kind of normality,” he added.

Since arriving in the UK, West Indies have entered quarantine at Emirates Old Trafford where they will spend three weeks.

Holder was impressed with the way England and Wales Cricket Board has arranged everything for the side.

He said hand sanitizers, disposable gloves, and thermometers had been widely available at their accommodation.

“Things like that give you a sigh of relief and that much more comfort,” Holder said.

“If we didn’t have things like this it would make you wonder if it was actually safe and again I cannot thank the ECB enough for what they have done so far,” he said.

Holder also spoke about the impact of anti-racism protests, that have been witnessed around the world since the death of African-American George Floyd in the USA, on the team.

“We have had previous series, particularly against England, where people have come out and said things prior to series and that has fuelled us as West Indians,” Holder said.

“Who knows, this could be something serious we could build on and get some real positive energy throughout the entire group,” he added.