PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – West Indies head coach Phil Simmons has identified fitness as a key component during the ongoing lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is hopeful the Test squad will be at an acceptable standard of readiness if the proposed tour of England goes ahead.

According to Simmons, players had been undergoing fitness regimes – mostly at home – over the last month, and some had even stepped up outdoor preparation as their respective territories had eased curfew restrictions.

“For the past four weeks or a little bit more than that, guys have been given different programmes and have been asked to even though they are locked away – because some territories had locked down very early – [to] find a room in their house or in their backyard to do work and keep themselves at a certain level of fitness,” the former West Indies player told i95FM Sport here.

While the tour is yet to be confirmed, Cricket West Indies chief executive said recently negotiations were at an advanced stage and he was “increasingly confident” the three-Test series would be played in July.

The series will be the first international tour undertaken since world cricket was abruptly halted nearly three months ago due to the outbreak of the virus which has already caused nearly 5-½ million infections and 345 000 deaths globally.