18 England bowlers to start training this week

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday confirmed that 18 bowlers will resume training this week as the country plans for a return of international cricket.

However, the board is yet to confirm the names of the players involved in the session. England becomes the first nation to commence training for its players after been badly hit by the Covid-19.

Although original plans to return to training on Wednesday had to be delayed due to a series of practical issues, the first group of players will attend nets on Thursday. Others will attend on Friday with the rest of the training group -- the batsmen and ’keepers -- returning to nets on June 1, ESPNcricinfo reported.

Physio will observe the social distancing at each venue to accommodate the training, with coaches joining the sessions from next week.

Each bowler would be using his own cricket ball as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus. It was earlier established that the bowlers will require time to get into thick of things, and this was the main reason behind ECB's decision to allow bowlers to train first.

While the ICC cricket committee decided earlier this week only to forbid the use of saliva on the ball, the ECB guidelines also prohibit the use of sweat.

On May 14, the ECB had confirmed that their men's team will return to individual skills-based training amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Board said by utilising venues across the country for individual sessions, it will be able to provide a controlled environment that ensures adherence to safety protocols and social distancing measures for players and staff as set out by the government.

Currently, all the cricketing action across the world has come to a standstill due to the pandemic. If England and West Indies indeed go ahead with the Test series, then it can be a first international cricket series since March this year.