ENG vs WI: Rory Burns and Joe Denly revived England after early loss.© AFP
International cricket resumed after a four-month coronavirus shutdown on Wednesday as England and West Indies players, who rekindled the powerful imagery of clenched fists inside black gloves, took a knee under grey skies in Southampton in support of the global campaign against racial injustice. Only 82 minutes’ play was possible on a day marred by rain and bad light interruptions after weeks of glorious sunshine in Britain. England stand-in captain Ben Stokes won the toss after bad weather meant the morning session was washed out. The players gathered in a semi-circle on the pitch before play started to observe a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the coronavirus and West Indies great Everton Weekes, who died last week at the age of 95. They then dropped to one knee in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign following the death in the United States of George Floyd in May. West Indies players wore black gloves on their right hands in an echo of the “Black Power” protests made famous by US athletes at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. (SCORECARD)
Highlights, England Vs West Indies 1st Test, straight from the Ageas Bowl Stadium, Southampton.
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22:58 (IST)
Thank you for joining us
This is all for today. Thank you for joining us for the live coverage of the first day of the first Test between England and the West Indies in Southampton.
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22:54 (IST)
Stumps!
It’s stumps on Day 1. England are 35/1 in 17.4 overs (R Burns 20*, Joe Denly 14*; S Gabriel 1/19) against West Indies.
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22:26 (IST)
Extra time on Day 2
The play on Day 2 might be longer as only 17.4 overs were bowled in Southampton today and the match officials will look to make up for some of the lost overs on Thursday.
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21:37 (IST)
Rain is back
We were supposed to see the final session of the day after tea-break but the rain has made its appearance again. The pitch has been covered and so is the entire square.
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21:07 (IST)
TEA
So, that’s tea on Day 1. England are 35/1 after early loss, rain interruptions and bad light in Southampton on the first day of the bio-secure Test.
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21:01 (IST)
Bad light stops play
We have another interruption. Bad light has stopped the play after 17.4 overs. England are 35/1.
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20:39 (IST)
Economical from captain
West Indies captain Jason Holder started his spell with a no-ball but conceded no run after that. England are 30/1 in 13 overs.
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20:29 (IST)
11 overs gone!
Kemar Roach continues to keep England under control with economical overs. He concedes just one run as England reach 21/1 after 11 overs.
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20:24 (IST)
FOUR!
Joe Denly smashes Shannon Gabriel to pick up back-to-back boundaries for England.
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20:20 (IST)
Nine overs gone!
After nine overs, England are 12/1. Kemar Roach bowled his fourth maiden over in five overs. The West Indies look in control at the moment.
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20:09 (IST)
FOUR!
Rory Burns brings up the first boundary of the match. He uses his wrists nicely to send Shannon Gabriel through the mid wicket region for four.
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20:05 (IST)
End of 5 overs!
Kemar Roach concludes a maiden over as England remain 3/1 after five overs.
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20:00 (IST)
Revised sessions time
Tea will be taken at 9:30 PM IST on the rain-marred Day 1 of the first Test between England and the West Indies.
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19:46 (IST)
Play to resume soon
The rain has stopped and play will resume at 8 PM IST if weather permits.
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19:22 (IST)
Covers are back on
Covers are back on. The rain is back and it’s getting heavier. England are 3/1 in 4.1 overs.
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19:19 (IST)
Game resumes
The match resumes after a brief rain-break. The sky still looks gloomy though.
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18:41 (IST)
WICKET!
Shannon Gabriel strikes in his first over to castle Dom Sibley. England are 0/1 in 1.4 overs.
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18:37 (IST)
Maiden over to start with
End of the first over! Kemar Roach starts with a maiden over. Spectators glued with TV sets will have to wait a little more for first runs after a long COVID-19 hiatus.
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18:34 (IST)
England begin proceedings
Rory Burns and Dom Sibley will start the proceedings for England. Kemar Roach will open the attack for the West Indies.
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18:33 (IST)
Players take a knee
Players take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign.
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18:24 (IST)
Why no Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes?
“Tough decision with Broad and Woakes. But we feel that we can have an extra dimension with the pace of Wood and Archer. To be fair, he wished me very well on my big day. Very proud but my main focus is to get the win,” stand-in skipper Ben Stokes says at the toss.
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18:15 (IST)
West Indies Playing XI
West Indies Playing XI: John Campbell, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Jermaine Blackwood, Shane Dowrich (wicket-keeper), Jason Holder (captain), Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel
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18:12 (IST)
England Playing XI
England Playing XI: Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Joe Denly, Zak Crawley, Ben Stokes (captain), Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (wicket-keeper), Dominic Bess, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, James Anderson
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18:02 (IST)
TOSS!
England have won the toss and opted to bat against the West Indies in the first Test.
We will bat first here in Southampton! #ENGvWI
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 8, 2020
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17:54 (IST)
Possible Toss and start time
The first Test of the bio-secure series between England and the West Indies might start at 6:30 PM IST, if the rain allows toss at 6 PM IST.
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17:45 (IST)
Covers are off
Covers are coming off and we might see an inspection soon.
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17:04 (IST)
LUNCH!
Early lunch has been taken. There’s no rain at the moment and we hope it doesn’t rain before we come back for action.
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16:41 (IST)
Pitch inspection
The next inspection of the pitch has been scheduled at 5:40 PM IST, only in case of an early lunch at 5 PM IST.
#ENGvWI RAIN DELAY UPDATE: It’s going to be an early lunch today!
Lunch will be taken at 12:30PM BST, with an inspection scheduled for 1:10PM BST
Stay tuned for further updates!#WIReady #ENGvWI pic.twitter.com/HARqSQHP7u
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) July 8, 2020
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16:37 (IST)
Early lunch?
There might be an early lunch at 5 PM IST in case rain doesn’t allow the game to start.
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16:28 (IST)
Rain update!
The update is not so good though. The dark clouds are still hovering over The Rose Bowl and the field is yet to be ready for toss.
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15:45 (IST)
Covers are back
The covers are back in place as it started drizzling again.
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15:39 (IST)
Rain stopped
The rain has stopped in Southampton. The weather looks good enough for toss.
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15:32 (IST)
And the wait continues…
We are already past 3:30 PM IST, the scheduled start time for the first Test. We will have to wait a little more for the international cricket to resume after the COVID-19 hiatus.
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15:11 (IST)
Toss delayed!
The wait for international cricket continues as the toss has been delayed at Southampton.
We’re all going to have to wait a bit longer – the toss has been delayed #ENGvWI pic.twitter.com/YTHS2WEVLV
— ICC (@ICC) July 8, 2020
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14:57 (IST)
Toss coming up soon
The toss is set to happen in three minutes. Ben Stokes and Jason Holder are leading their respective teams
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14:56 (IST)
Hello and welcome!
England and West Indies will soon kick off the first match to mark the resumption of international cricket amid the coronavirus pandemic
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