The England and Wales Cricket Board on Friday announced that 55 men’s team players have been asked to return to training as they prepare for the prospect of behind-closed-doors cricket with Government clearance.

“The ECB continues to work closely with its county partners to provide a safe and efficient return to practice for players, and is grateful for the support of the counties in assisting with the coaching provision across this period,” the board said in a statement.

ECB Performance Director Mo Bobat said, “It’s really pleasing to be in a position to have players returning to training and a huge amount of work has been done by many to get us this far. The pool of players will give selectors strong options when it comes to selecting squads across formats further down the line, as we move closer to our aim of playing international cricket this summer.”

“We will need to continue to work closely with our medical team and government to ensure that our return to training and play activities are in line with best-practice guidelines. We’re also really grateful for the positive and collaborative response from our county colleagues who are doing a great job at facilitating coaching and support for the players. The fact that we can call on our network to support the national effort shows the strength of our system.”

Earlier this month, the ECB had announced that a pool of 30 male cricketers of the national team would resume individual outdoor skill-based training in different phases at venues across the country.

However, with the ECB looking to host international matches against the West Indies, the numbers of players called for training seems to have increased.

In the earlier statement by the ECB, it was said that in the first phase it would be the bowlers – who will have one-on-one sessions with the coach – and after they reach their desired loading efforts in two weeks, dedicated batsmen and wicketkeepers will begin their individual training session.

If the same process will be followed or not has not been made clear in the latest statement.