Every person was tested 72 hours before they travelled in order to ensure that all members of the party were travelling virus free.

'There is no need to force it but if we keep it tight in the morning session, I believe the pressure will bring some rewards.'

Ollie Pope scored an unbeaten 91 and Jos Buttler contributed a half century as England took advantage of a tired West Indies attack to move to 258 for four on Friday when bad light brought play to a premature end on the opening day of the final Test in Manchester.

IMAGES from Day 4 of the 2nd Test played between England and West Indies at Manchester on Sunday.

Play was abandoned without a ball being bowled on the third day of the second Test between England and the West Indies as rain fell persistently over Old Trafford on Saturday.

A grafting century from Dom Sibley and an increasingly belligerent one by Ben Stokes put England in control on day two of the second Test against West Indies in Manchester on Friday. Opener Sibley completed his second Test century shortly before lunch, eventually falling for 120, while Stokes cut loose after it before going for 176 as England declared on 469-9.

IMAGES from Day 1 of the 2nd Test played between England and West Indies at Old Trafford in Manchester on Thursday.

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West Indies coach Phil Simmons believes that the extended preparations after early arrival due to COVID-19 protocols have actually played a key part in his side's four-wicket win over England in the first Test at Southampton.

The poet and professor's 'life breath is now in the hands of those sworn to uphold his Constitutional right to life.' 'Will they be true to their oath?', asks Jyoti Punwani.

West Indies beat England by four wickets on the final day of the first international Test since the coronavirus break on Sunday, taking a 1-0 lead at the Ageas Bowl in a three-Test series thanks to a 95-run knock by Jermaine Blackwood.

England ended day four with a 170-run lead over West Indies as Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley notched up half-centuries in the second innings of the first Test at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on Saturday. Images from Day 4 of the first Test between England and West Indies.

He finished with the figures of 4-49 in his 14 overs including five maiden overs.

Images from Day 3 of the first Test between England and West Indies at the Ageas Bowl, on Friday

IMAGES from the first Test between England and West Indies played at the Rose Bowl Cricket Stadium, Southampton on Thursday

IMAGES from soccer matches played in the EPL, La Liga and Serie A on Tuesday.

It will also be a milestone in the career of England's talisman Ben Stokes as he captains the side for the first time.

Young England batsman Zak Crawley believes Ben Stokes will have no trouble filling the captain's shoe in the absence if Joe Root as the all-rounder is already a "big leader" of the team. Root will miss the Test series opener against West Indies, which starts on Wednesday at the Ageas Bowl to attend the birth of his second child, handing over the captaincy duties to England's World Cup hero Stokes.

West Indies coach Phil Simmons says his side cannot afford the batting debacles that have often undermined their tours of England when the series starts behind closed doors next week. The first of three Tests begins at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton next Wednesday and Simmons says making sure they are mentally ready is the most important task.

International cricket will gingerly ease out of a 117-day shutdown in Southampton next week but the scars of the COVID-19 pandemic will be clearly evident at the Ageas Bowl. An encounter between the fourth and eighth ranked teams in Test cricket is hardly a pinnacle but England's series against West Indies could offer a glimpse into a future where the game plods on under the shadow of the new coronavirus.

CWI Lead Selector, Roger Harper, said that he is delighted with Gabriel's inclusion to the squad.

West Indies pace legend Andy Roberts slammed batsman Shimron Hetmyer for opting out of the England tour because of health concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with senior pro Darren Bravo, Hetmyer pulled out of the tour of UK and forced the Roger Harper-led selection committee to make some last-minute changes.

He further warned that the time was not apt to "let our guard down".

Infosys was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying around 7 per cent, followed by TCS, IndusInd Bank, ONGC, HDFC Bank and HCL Tech. On the other hand, ITC, Bajaj Finance, Kotak Bank and Sun Pharma finished in the red.

Shannon Gabriel had copped a four-match ban for throwing 'personal abuse' at Joe Root in February 2019 during the St Lucia Test match, though his comments were never made public.

Armed with a strong pace attack, comprising the likes of Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph and captain Jason Holder, West Indies are set to take on hosts England in a three-match Test series, starting July 8 in Southampton.

The likes of iconic actor-director Guru Dutt, South star Silk Smitha, actor Jiah Khan and now, Sushant Singh Rajput gave up on life in the Indian film industry.

The West Indies cricket team on Monday departed from Antigua for their scheduled three-test tour of England as international cricket is finally set to resume. Two planes collected players from various islands in the West Indies earlier on Monday before they all took a private charter flight for the UK, which will reach Manchester on Tuesday.

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'The last time we played each other, they won, so they're no slouches certainly'

Fans had gathered outside the gates of Benfica's stadium in Lisbon to support the team because restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak prevented them entering the ground.

CWI also named 11 reserve players who will travel and quarantine with the squad to ensure replacements are readily available in case of injuries.

Success in sports stems mostly from teamwork. Now and then there comes a captain, on whose singular strength an entire squad makes huge strides. One such titan, now departed for the Elysian Fields, was The Hindu's Sports Editor Srinivasaraghavan Krishnan.

Former India spinner Venkatapathy Raju explains the mysteries of spin bowling.

Shashank Rai, 30, allegedly sought millions of dollars in forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act from two different banks by claiming to have 250 employees earning wages when, in fact, no employee worked for his alleged business.

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'I am not scared of corona, I am sure God is protecting us.'

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