International cricket is finally back after 117 days halt with the first Test match between England and West Indies. Day 1 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton wasn’t very delightful for the fans as the major part of the play was affected by rain. Nevertheless, 17.4 overs were still bowled by West Indies in which England scored 35 runs with the loss of one wicket. Cricket lovers were absolutely thrilled seeing the action at the highest level as #ENGvsWI became one of the top trends on Twitter. Many prominent members of the cricket fraternity like Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin also took to social media and expressed their ecstasy. England vs West Indies 1st Test 2020 Day 1 Report: Rory Burns, Joe Denly Hold Fort as Cricket Gets Off to Rainy Restart.

The ongoing match, however, is being played with a lot of new rules and as the game progresses, it will be interesting to see how much the changes will affect the game. Bowlers are not allowed to shine the ball with saliva. Also, players will not be seen shaking hands and hugging each other while celebrating for the fall of a wicket as social distancing will have to be maintained. Meanwhile, let’s look at how cricket stars reacted to the resumption of international cricket. Jason Holder Forgets Social Distancing Norms, Inadvertently Shakes Hands With Ben Stokes At Toss.

Rohit Sharma Delighted!!

R Ashwin Happy Too!!

Ricky Ponting Reacts!!

Irfan Pathan Thrilled Too!!

Cricket Is Back!!

Coming to the day’s play, veteran pacer Shanon Gabriel dismissed England opener Dominic Sibley for a duck. However, Rory Burns (20) and Joe Denly (14) steadied the ship as England were 35/1 at the end of the first day. Better weather is expected on Day 2 and hence, both the sides will look to get on the driver’s seat. In the absence of Joe Root, the home side has an inexperienced top-order and the likes of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler will have to come good. On the other hand, Windies pacers were lethal on Day 1 and will aim to take wickets in a cluster in the upcoming day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 09, 2020 08:56 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).