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England vs West Indies LIVE cricket score: First Test, Day One commentary stream and wickets at The Ageas Bowl

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Getty Images

Welcome to the Evening Standard’s LIVE coverage of England vs West Indies as cricket returns.

The long-awaited return of international cricket suffered a frustrating start as rain dominated day one of England's Test series against the West Indies, but the weather could not stop both teams taking a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The clash inside the bio-secure bubble at the Ageas Bowl represented the first meeting of any international teams since March 13, with the previous Test concluding 11 days earlier, but only 17.4 overs were possible as England reached 35 for one.

Dom Sibley will be cursing his fate after falling for a four-ball duck playing no stroke but the most significant moment took place before a single ball had been bowled, when the entire squads of both sides put up a united front in a gesture of solidarity and equality.

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Who is there?

There will be fewer than 300 people at the Ageas Bowl when — dodgy forecast permitting — play gets under way tomorrow. That figure includes players, match officials and groundstaff, as well as others working on the game, from ECB staff, broadcasters and a small band of written media. Most are staying onsite in one of the hotels attached to the ground. All have been tested for Covid-19 — and will be regularly temperature-tested — and were issued with a 74-page document last week detailing the carefully-laid plans for the safe restart of cricket.

The game itself

In addition to a spate of headbands, the cricket itself will see some notable changes, such as players being banned from applying saliva to the ball to garner swing. If the ball is hit into the stands, it will be up to squad members to return it, wearing gloves. In addition, bowlers will not hand their caps or sweater to the umpires, while groundstaff have been told to keep a 20 metre distance from players. In a break from recent custom, all five match officials are English, where normally they would be from a neutral country. That includes Chris Broad, the match referee and father of England star Stuart.

Noise

TV umpire Michael Gough’s decisions will be shown on the big screen, as will some replays, and there will be an announcer for bowling changes and the like. There will be music played before play, but not during overs. TV and radio will add a canned Lord’s hum. Sky have installed a diary room for interviews, but there will be no customary cake for the Test Match Special presenters.