Shai Hope: players would need to get used playing behind closed doors

West Indies cricketer Shai Hope has commented that “players would need to get used to playing in front of empty stands until the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control”.

West Indies and England are set to become the first teams to play cricket, since the COVID-19 lockdown. They will start off with a Test series that begins from the second week of July. The West Indies side, is missing the services of several of its key players including Bravo, Hetmyer and Paul.

These players decided to drop out of the series for different reasons. In their absence Hope and Kraigg Braithwaite are expected to step up and fill in their shoes. Hope has a good record in Test cricket in England. His innings at Headingley during a tense run chase was the highlight for West Indies, during their previous tour.

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However, since 2017, Hope has been struggling to score consistently in the Test format, despite showing well for in limited-overs format. He would be hoping to change this during the series.

The series would also see Jofra Archer go up against his former team-mates like Hope. Archer who is originally from Barbados switched sides to play for England, a few years ago. Speaking on the matter, Hope commented that “though he and Archer were friends, they have to take the friendship out of the equation when they are on the field”.