English Cricket Season Delayed Until July, The Series Against West Indies Is Also Affected
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has decided to have a complete lockdown of cricket till July, as a result of which the Test series against West Indies has also been postponed.
According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the ECB has decided that cricket matches will be postponed till July 1, but domestic matches have not been canceled yet.
ECB officials will meet next week to discuss the first season of The Hundred, which starts on July 17.
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In the UK, the domestic season was postponed until May 28 due to the coronavirus, which was scheduled for April 12th.
The ECB said it would review international cricket to schedule it by the end of July and September.
The England women's cricket team's tour of England, which was scheduled from June 25, has also been postponed.
"We are still optimistic about a few cricket matches this summer, but we are facing a global crisis," said Tom Harrison, chief executive of the ECB.
He also said, "We will go beyond holding sports and prioritize saving workers and society as a whole. So there will be no cricket until society is safe and our schedule is delayed with the permission of the government."
It may be recalled that a series of three Test matches between England and West Indies is scheduled to start on June 4, followed by a tour of Australia, Pakistan and Ireland.
The ECB has not yet made a decision on the Test series against the West Indies.
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The board had said after the meeting yesterday that domestic, first-class and limited-style cricket would be included in a new schedule.
Tom Harrison said international and county matches could be played behind closed doors by providing a safe environment for players and management officials.
He said that the ECB would decide on competitions without spectators once it was satisfied.
"Now more of our planning is about what cricket will be like behind closed doors," he said.
He said that the steps taken by the government could be taken into account through this lockdown and messages to the citizens.
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England's 11-stage T20 Blast will begin on May 28 and end in early July, but will also be postponed.
Pakistan has also canceled a tour of the Netherlands due to the coronavirus and India has postponed the IPL.
The global epidemic has not only affected cricket competitions but also an ancient event like the Olympics has been delayed by a year.
