Test return! Cricket.com.au to stream ENGvWI series

Cricket fans in Australia can enjoy the resumption of Test cricket this month with every ball of the West Indies Test tour of England to be streamed on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app, following an exciting partnership between Cricket Australia and the England & Wales Cricket Board.

After a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, international cricket returns on Wednesday night (Australian time) with the first Test between England and the Windies in Southampton before the second and third Tests in Manchester later this month.

All three Tests will be live streamed across Cricket Australia’s digital platforms, with fans in Australia able to watch by using their Cricket ID login - at no cost. Signing up for a Cricket ID is free and could not be any easier – just fill in your details here and you’re good to go!

The #RaiseTheBat Test series - named in honour of the UK's key workers during the coronavirus response - will also be broadcast in Australia on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.

How to watch

Fans in Australia can live stream the England v West Indies Test series just by signing up for a Cricket ID. It’s simple to do and doesn’t cost you a cent – just click here, fill in a few basic details and enjoy some live Test cricket!

Image Id: F2000FF2AD9241B89F3F8D0B07FE47E8 Image Caption: The venue for the first Test // Getty

Fixture

First Test: July 8-12 at the Rose Bowl, Southampton

Second Test: July 16-20 at Old Trafford, Manchester

Third Test: July 24-28 at Old Trafford, Manchester

Each day of play will begin at 8:00pm AEST

What are the new rules?

Cricket is back, but it will be slightly different to what we’re used to due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Image Id: 622E1878AA504AA38753D6D4793AF69F Image Caption: Jimmy Anderson makes use of a hand-sanitising station // Getty

Firstly, crowds won’t be in attendance for the entire series, while the matches will be played at venues in Southampton and Manchester that feature on-site hotels, which means players and staff will stay in a bio-secure ‘bubble’ for the whole campaign, with regular testing and health checks already being implemented.

The International Cricket Council has also introduced a handful of temporary new laws; the use of saliva to shine the ball is banned (although using sweat is still permitted), home umpires are allowed and substitutes are permitted for players displaying symptoms of the coronavirus, similar to the rules regarding concussion substitutes.

Teams will be allowed one extra unsuccessful DRS review in each innings, up from the usual two to three.

Team news

England will be without skipper Joe Root for the first Test due to the birth of his second child, meaning Ben Stokes will captain his country for the very first time.

Root’s absence from the middle order means Joe Denly and Zak Crawley are both set to play and are effectively battling each other for a spot when Root returns for the second match of the series.

The only other question mark surrounds the make-up of England’s bowling attack, with two fast bowlers out of Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes likely to miss out. Dom Bess is the sole spinner in the squad.

Broad conceded this week the decision presented an “absolute nightmare” for selectors, who could be tempted to unleash speedsters Archer and Wood in the same side for the first time, a move which could see Broad squeezed out.

There is also intrigue surrounding the make-up of the Windies’ bowling attack for the first Test, which will be determined by the conditions in Southampton.

Having off-spinning allrounder Roston Chase in the middle order means the Windies could opt for four frontline quicks, led by skipper Jason Holder and supported by Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph.

The selection or non-selection of allrounders Raymon Reifer and Rakheem Cornwall – seam and spin bowlers respectively – will help instruct that decision.

While the bowling looks strong, the Windies’ batting is below full-strength with both Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer skipping to tour due to health concerns.

Squads

England: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Zak Crawley, Joe Denly, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Reserves: Ben Foakes (wk), James Bracey, Sam Curran, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson, Olly Stone

West Indies: Jason Holder (c), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shane Dowrich (wk), Chemar Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach.

Reserves: Anderson Phillip, Sunil Ambris, Cheyne Moseley, Keon Harding, Joshua Da Silva, Kyle Mayers, Preston McSween, Marquino Mindley, Oshane Thomas, Jomel Warrican

Players to watch

He’s a star with the bat, the ball and in the field, but how will Ben Stokes fare as a Test captain?

The allrounder will step in for the opening Test in the absence of Root (paternity leave) and there is much intrigue about how much of the 29-year-old’s flair and aggression as a player will translate to his tactics.

Legendary allrounders Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff both struggled with the responsibility of leadership but given Stokes will only be in charge for one Test – at least for now – he doesn’t have much to lose.

Standing at almost two metres tall and weighing in at close to 140kg, Rahkeem Cornwall has already gained a cult following around the globe.

Image Id: 86263E5A331D4086B67937D19920956D Image Caption: Cornwall (left) with the Shannon Gabriel, who is 188cm tall // Getty

But it’s not just Cornwall’s size that has turned heads with the allrounder making an instant impression in Test cricket, which is no great surprise for a man with more than 300 first-class wickets to his name.

The off-spinner took 10 wickets in a Test against Afghanistan last year, just the second of his career, and should be suited by conditions in Southampton and Manchester, which are traditionally two of the most spin-friendly pitches in England.

And it’s the conditions that will be crucial in determining if the 27-year-old gets a game; with off-spinning allrounder Roston Chase a guaranteed selection in the middle order, the Windies may instead opt for an all-out pace attack, which would leave Cornwall out of the side.

Keep an eye on …

The pace battle. Five of the top 20 ranked Test bowlers will feature in this series and both teams have a difficult decision to make to see which quicks to leave out.

England have swing and seam stars Anderson, Broad and Woakes as well as speedsters Archer and Wood, while the Windies could revert to their glory days and pick four frontline quicks, led by skipper Holder and supported by veterans Roach and Gabriel as well as youngster Joseph.

The fact that neither Sam Curran nor Oshane Thomas could be squeezed into their respective squads underlines the pace quality that will be on display.

And keep an eye on some tweaks to the Test shirts of both teams. The Black Lives Matter symbol will be displayed on the collar of each player’s shirt, while the relaxation of rules regarding sponsor’s logos in an effort to help cricket boards recoup some financial losses suffered during the pandemic means both teams will have the logo of their major sponsor splashed across the front of their shirts.

In addition, the #RaiseTheBat Test series will also see the England side wearing the names of nominated teachers, doctors, nurses, carers, and social workers on their training tops ahead of day one's play as a tribute to their efforts during the coronavirus response in recent months.