Sibley relishing resumption of test cricket

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

VIDEO SHOWS: NEWS CONFERENCE WITH ENGLAND OPENER DOMINIC SIBLEY / ENGLAND AND SIBLEY TRAINING AHEAD OF THE FIRST TEST

SHOWS: SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND, UK (JULY 6, 2020) (ECB HANDOUT - ACCESS ALL)

1. ENGLAND OPENER DOM SIBLEY BATTING IN THE NETS

2. SOUNDBITE (English) ENGLAND OPENER, DOM SIBLEY, SAYING:

"Yeah, definitely, I think someone said the other day, it is the first international sports event that is going ahead. I don't know whether that is true or not, but it would be great to have some international sport on, and like the Premier League football, it is exciting for everyone to get stuff back on the TV and hopefully we can provide some entertainment and some winning games."

3. SIBLEY BATTING

4. SOUNDBITE (English) ENGLAND OPENER, DOM SIBLEY, SAYING:

"I think we have got noise sort of in between wickets, and change of bowlers and stuff. I am not 100% sure if it is going to be across the whole day's play, but it should be good. Obviously, we will have to find energy within the team and create energy within the team and sort of help get through that. Obviously, the Barmy Army has helped in the games that I have played for England anyway, if you think back to Cape Town and the amount of energy they gave us. But we are very motivated after a long break to put in a really good performance."

5. SIBLEY AMONG GROUP OF PLAYERS WARMING UP

6. SOUNDBITE (English) ENGLAND OPENER DOM SIBLEY SAYING:

"If I could have had a choice, I mean it is always a dream for a youngster to play a test match at Lord's or your home ground in front of a packed house, but circumstances haven't led for that to happen. So, for me, I would always choose to have a crowd in. Maybe it will play to my advantage, but I think it is not going to change the way I play, who is watching and who is at the ground. So, I am just going to do my thing and score as many runs as possible."

7. SIBLEY AND BEN STOKES PRACTISING CATCHING

8. SOUNDBITE (English) ENGLAND OPENER, DOM SIBLEY, SAYING, ON BEN STOKES:

"I think he is just going to do what he does, and that is lead from the front, probably try and lead by example. His quality and his energy on the pitch is like nothing that I have played with. It is unique. He has got a unique sort of skill and a unique presence and I think that he will just use that and try and lead from example. And he is someone who the young guys look up to and will continue to do so regardless of whether he is captain or not. So, I am sure that he will do his thing and we will follow him for sure."

9. SIBLEY FIELDING

10. SOUNDBITE (English) ENGLAND OPENER, DOM SIBLEY, SAYING:

"I have always been someone who hasn't been maybe necessarily the fittest in the squad and I have always, whether it has been at Surrey or Warwickshire, I have always been coasting a little bit in that aspect I have always trained. I have always prided myself in training extremely hard with my batting, but maybe that side has not been something that I have done to the best of my ability. And maybe I just thought yeah, I remember being in Sri Lanka with that heat, and training in that heat. I remember thinking I saw a few of the lads running after a big session and I thought I needed to -- it was a bit of an eye opener for me and it was the first time that I really sort of felt I have had taps on the shoulders before and haven't done anything about them to be honest when I was younger. And it was probably a bit overdue, me having that sort of a wake up call. And it was a good lesson for me, regardless of whether it leads to runs or not, it was something I needed to do, and during lockdown it was something I needed to put in the bank. You couldn't do any cricket so it was just trying to get that tough graft into the bank and hopefully it will stand me in good stead."

11. SIBLEY FIELDING

STORY: A slimmed down Dom Sibley will open the batting for England in the first test against West Indies this week and says the return of international sport after the coronavirus crisis will be something that he and his team mates will embrace.

Sibley, nicknamed 'The Fridge' by colleagues, has lost 12kg (26 pounds) since experiencing a "wake-up call" while in Sri Lanka earlier this year for the series that was aborted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 24-year-old is averaging 40 in six tests since making his debut against New Zealand in November and be hoping to get stuck into the West Indies bowlers as he tries to nail down his spot at the top of the problematic England upper order.

The Warwickshire right-hander told reporters on Monday (July 6) that shedding some excess baggage will help him achieve that goal.

Test cricket hasn't been played since February, an unprecedented gap in the modern era, and when it does resume on Wednesday (July 8), it will be in a bio-secure bubble in Southampton and there will be no spectators in the Ageas Bowl.

(Production: Iain Axon)