<
>

In Case You Missed It: The run-up to resumption

The spaces between us: What will post-pandemic cricket look like? Getty Images

As countries around the world ease lockdown protocols, cricket is getting ready for the long run-up to resumption - England bowlers are preparing for training, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are locking down bio-secure venues to begin practice, and the ICC has set guidelines for cricket's return. What will the post-pandemic game look like? The Vincy Premier League franchise in the Caribbean gave us a glimpse of what to expect. Here's all the action from a buzzing week.

Cricket's comeback from Covid-19: the state of the game
It's been two months since all cricket ground to a halt and now the early signs of a return are starting to take shape, but a lot of work remains. Where does each Full Member nation stand currently? ESPNcricinfo's correspondents take stock.

Is Sourav Ganguly eyeing the ICC chairman position?
As current chairman Shashank Manohar prepares to depart in July, the BCCI is testing interest from several Full Members on the support for Ganguly. Cricket South Africa's Graeme Smith has backed Ganguly; CSA itself has been more cautious.

Social distancing, 'safe' ball management among ICC's dos and don'ts
The ICC has set guidelines for resumption, including social-distancing on the field, forbidding players from handing over glasses and sweaters for the umpires to hold, and a complete ban on using saliva to shine the ball. If anyone involved in a game tests positive for Covid-19, everyone involved will need testing. The ICC also stressed that bowlers' workloads will have to be carefully managed to avoid serious injuries after a prolonged break from play.

How are cricketers keeping fit in lockdown?
Danyal Rasool and Matt Roller explore how players have been keeping fit during the enforced break and how the constraints of space and accessibility will impact players' form when training, and cricket, resumes.

Dean Elgar: 'In 2012, we had big, imposing guys; now you can't say boo to a goose'
The South Africa opener talks to Firdose Moonda about the challenges of captaincy, working with a new coach, and the changing landscape of cricket in the country

Why are Steven Smith and Joe Root so averse to batting at No. 3?
Ian Chappell asks why some top players are reluctant to go in to bat earlier - wouldn't you rather walk in at one-down for a low score than two-down?

Whatever happened to Ravi Shastri 1.0?
He was an outspoken rebel who always put players' interests first, says Sharda Ugra. When did he turn into an establishment man?

When did we all start loving David Warner?
In a new monthly column, Alan Gardner goes where all the cool kids are at - social media - and is flabbergasted by a dancing, lip-syncing, swimsuit-wearing impostor who calls himself David Warner.

Who has top-scored the most for their team in Tests?
And how many batsmen have scored twin hundreds in a match in which no other batsman has managed even one? Shiva Jayaraman and Bharath Seervi crunch some numbers.

Downtime Diaries: Mickey Arthur: 'I spent my birthday with Kumar Sangakkara's family in Galle'
Sri Lanka's coach who has been locked down in Colombo learnt a lot about himself in the eight lonely weeks he spent holed up in a hotel.

Tim Seifert likes to go bam bam
New Zealand have an attacking new wicketkeeper-batsman. Dare we say: shades of McCullum?

Hot Seat: Which current bowlers could dismiss Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly?
You can teleport two bowlers from 2020 into a 1998 ODI on a dry Chepauk pitch to have a go at those two in a low-scoring game. Whom do you pick? Our writers give it a go.

When Mahela Jayawardene masterminded a thriller at the Sara
Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Andrew Hall, Mickey Arthur and others look back at one of the all-time great Tests: Sri Lanka's one-wicket win in Colombo in 2006.

You ain't seen nothing like the mighty Mike Procter
Mark Nicholas remembers watching and playing alongside the colourful, swashbuckling and devastatingly good Procter, an allrounder to rank with any in history.