Joe Root wary of Windies' formidable bowling attack, heaps praise on Jason Holder

England Test skipper Joe Root is very well aware of the perils posed by the Windies' 'formidable' bowling attack, admitting that his side needed to be well-prepared to tackle the Men in Maroon. West Indies are eyeing to make history by winning their first tour in the UK in 32 years as international cricket as they play England in a three-match Test series commencing from July 8. Joe Root is most likely set to miss the opening Test at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton due to the birth of his second daughter. International cricket is on the brink of resumption after a three-month-long COVID-forced hiatus with both sides resuming full-fledged training behind closed doors from Thursday. 

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'Very aware of the skill'

Speaking to BBC Sport, the England skipper revealed that his side was very well aware of the skills possessed by the formidable bowling attack of the Windies and said that they need to be well-prepared to tackle it. Joe Root admitted that the Windies' bowling attack stood out and it was essential for England to prepare well in order to be ready to face the Men in Maroon. England had suffered a 1-2 loss against the West Indies in their away series last year and the visitors will be relying on their potent pace unit to retain the Wisden Trophy when the opening Test gets underway at Ageas Bowl, Southampton.

Talking about his Windies counterpart, Joe Root heaped praise on Jason Holder - lauding him for taking over the reins of the team at a tender age. The England skipper pointed out that Holder was nearing the peak of his career and said that the latter came across as a 'good bloke'. Joe Root also revealed that he was awaiting a 'socially distanced' chat with Jason Holder when the sides meet. 

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England players' tests return negative

No England cricketers have tested positive for coronavirus in the past three weeks ahead of next month’s test series against the West Indies, the England and Wales Cricket Board said Wednesday. All the tests returned negative results. Some people have been tested multiple times. A total of 702 tests were conducted on England’s players, support staff, match officials, ECB staff and hotel staff from June 3-23 at two bio-secure venues — Manchester’s Old Trafford and Southampton’s Ageas Bowl.

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West Indies tour of England

The first test of the series will commence on July 8 at the Ageas Bowl. The second and third test will be played at the Old Trafford subsequently dates for which are July 16 and July 24. The ECB while announcing the proposed schedule had stated that decision on other scheduled matches for England Men and England Women this summer will be determined at a later date.

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