The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been having virtual brainstorming sessions with all stakeholders on the resumption of cricket in recent months under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. So far, the Council has been unable to make a final decision on the main issue of contention: when to hold the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup. It is very ironic that in a year that can also be referred to as T20, the T20 mega event simply cannot get underway that was originally scheduled for October 2020 in Australia. Now, India’s cricket board, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has been eagerly awaiting the decision on the T20 World Cup, because since its postponement is almost final, the ICC’s decision will give it a window to the BCCI during October. November to host your favorite money-spinning event, the Indian Premier League (IPL), of course, without the rowdy crowds and revelers.

Meanwhile, the ICC has been busy crafting new rules for the world’s most popular game, a craze in India. This job was assigned to the great Indian bowler Anil Kumble, who was appointed as chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee in 2012. Kumble has already made recommendations and most of them have been approved by the ICC. The first, of course, is the obvious one: a ban on the use of saliva during the game. We’ve seen over the decades how intensive the use of saliva by nearly every player on the field had been to keep the ball shiny. Saliva is now a direct trigger for the spread of COVID-19 and therefore its use has been banned immediately. This will very negatively affect pacemakers in particular, and perhaps the dry ball will help spinners. The suggestion to use external substances was rejected mainly because international cricket bodies had opposed this tooth and nail for decades. There is one more suggestion to allow a new ball for every fifty overs in test matches that is under consideration.

The ICC rule of having neutral umpires in international series has also been waived to avoid the extensive trek around the world that international umpires have had to undertake. Local referees will now do the work. Another very important recommendation that has been accepted is to allow COVID substitutions in Test matches that last for five days. Any player showing symptoms of flu, cough or fever during this period will be removed from the game and a substitute player will be allowed to take his place in the starting eleven as set forth in these concussion regulations. Naturally, this rule would not apply to the shorter formats of ODI and T20I.

Cricket’s defined new normal will obviously include several other demonstrative physical attributes of the game: the rival team meetings that we have increasingly witnessed in competitive cricket in recent years will no longer be allowed; the display of physical excitement in a group, as in the case of a wicket drop or a hat-trick or a superlative catch or scoring a ton, will disappear and all kinds of hugs, handshakes, celebrations in the pavilion or in the locker room and the like will no longer be there until Corona thinks otherwise. And, of course, there will be no spectators. The players will have to go through all the excitement on the pitch in an empty stadium with no cheering, chanting, celebrating or flag waving, cricket-loving crowds, which would obviously be a daunting challenge to keep the competitive spirit of the players. Unfortunately, there is no other option available at the moment and cricketers will have to adjust for the sport to resume.

It is a great development that the first instance of international resumption of cricket has already begun. Except for three players, the West Indies team had agreed to take part in a test series against England in England, one of the worst affected countries in terms of COVID deaths. The West Indies team had already arrived in England, all players were tested before leaving and underwent extensive testing after arrival. They will live and prepare there for three weeks before the first Test of the three-match series scheduled to start on July 8, 2020. I hope that the great game of cricket will pass the unprecedented COVID test successfully and with full honours.