ECB welcomes green light for behind-closed-doors sport

The ECB has welcomed the Uk Government’s go-ahead for the return of specialist activity powering shut doors as it presses ahead with options to host worldwide cricket this summer months, and stage a domestic period.

In a even further easing of lockdown limits imposed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Secretary of State for Digital, Society, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden introduced govt health and fitness and protection advice on Saturday for elite athletes and specialist sportspeople to return to level of competition in the absence of spectators from June one. He included that it was up to individual sports activities to confirm they could satisfy the protection protocols and consequently when to resume.

The ECB, who are hoping to host a condensed worldwide timetable at so-named ‘bio-secure’ venues, commencing with a 3-Test sequence towards West Indies in July, issued a statement on Sunday declaring they were “heartened” by the information. The ECB will study the tips to establish how they will assistance the activity emerge from lockdown, but it plainly saw hope for the resumption of domestic and recreational cricket.

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“We are really heartened by Saturday’s announcement from the Secretary of State, which will guidance the return of specialist, domestic cricket powering shut doors, and offers a significant up coming stage for recreational gamers to start out actively playing at their clubs again,” the ECB statement claimed.

“Above the coming week, we will request to have an understanding of the certain advice from Government’s clinical groups so that we can offer guidance for cricket clubs who will be eager to see their communities safely actively playing in tiny teams. We increase our many thanks to all those in Federal government who have worked really hard to guidance the return of activity and we search ahead to observing gamers from across the game start out returning to the field.”

The ECB has been doing work on options to hold televised worldwide matches at two grounds – understood to be Emirates Outdated Trafford and the Ageas Bowl – with another foundation to let a third crew to train – probably to be Edgbaston. Each and every of the venues will be configured to stimulate social distancing, together with the use of various zones to different teams these as gamers and match officers from those not being on web page.

England final week named a 55-guy teaching team to get ready for the sequence towards West Indies as properly as planned visits from Pakistan, Australia and Eire.

Cricket West Indies has agreed to the scheduled tour of England in principle and is awaiting approvals from the various nationwide governments in the Caribbean for player and personnel motion on charterd planes. The Test sequence, portion of the Entire world Test Championship, was initially supposed to start out on June four but was postponed when the Covid-19 pandemic strike.

The ECB final week introduced that no specialist domestic cricket would be performed in England or Wales until at least August one, although recreational cricket would continue to be suspended until even further observe, with the exception of working with outdoor cricket nets and pitches for exercising below the government’s social distancing tips. It is investigating alternatives for actively playing a domestic period perhaps commencing in August, including a County Championship break up into regions and a T20 Blast level of competition.