'Fascinated' Tim Paine & Australia to watch England-WI series closely to be fully prepared

Even as international cricket eyes resumption post the Coronavirus-forced break, Australia's Test skipper Tim Paine has said he will keep a close eye on the West Indies' tour of England in July. The Australian skipper is 'fascinated' to see the resumption and the 'different things' that will be a part of cricket in the post-COVID era of the game. Paine is also set to lead the Australian side against India's possible tour later this year, of which Cricket Australia has already released a tentative schedule. 

'Fascinated like anyone'

Speaking to Cricket Australia on Tuesday, skipper Paine said, "I am fascinated like anyone is to watch some Test cricket again and to see exactly how the West Indies and England series is going to work and the different things that they are going to be doing that haven’t been done before in Cricket." 

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The wicketkeeper-batsman also stated that it is going to be interesting for him, Coach Justin Langer and the Australian squad as it is something that they are going to watch 'very closely.' Speaking about Australia's schedule ahead and the preparedness to jump back to action, Paine stated that the team is lucky to have a pre-season as national players have gone back to their states and it is a great thing for both them and all our young domestic players in the country to be learning from Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Pat Cummins and others. 

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“I think our Australian cricketers will be as well prepared as they’ve ever been, come their first game, whether that’s Test cricket, one-day cricket or T20,” Paine added. 

Windies-England Test series to begin on July 8 

Meanwhile, the West Indies team has completed its isolation period and is set resume with a practice match in Manchester. The visitors have been quarantined at Old Trafford for three weeks before the first test. The first test of the series will commence on July 8 at the Ageas Bowl. The second and third tests will be played at Old Trafford, the subsequent 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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India's tour of Australia

Cricket Australia released a tentative schedule of the much-anticipated India's tour of Australia. The schedule for India's tour of Australia includes a three-match T20 series in October and the four-match test series in December-January. The second test of the series between December 11 and December 15 is set to be a Day/Night Test at the Adelaide Oval. The Test series will be followed by a three-match ODI series as well.  In light of the pandemic, CA CEO Kevin Roberts has also highlighted that the schedule is subject to change. 

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