Counties to play both red and white-ball cricket
THE 18 first-class counties have agreed to play both red-ball and white-ball cricket during this summer’s shortened domestic season.
A majority vote was reached at a meeting of county chairmen.
The agreement will now be passed on for approval from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), after which a new fixture schedule will be drawn up and announced.
County cricket has been given the go-ahead to start on August 1, having been on hold since April due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The ECB insists health matters are of paramount importance and says counties will face further assessments to ensure it is safe for play to resume.
“The safety and wellbeing of all players, staff and officials remains the priority of the ECB,” read a statement.
“All first-class counties will undergo further medical risk assessments and venue compliance approval as planning progresses to ensure safe environments for the start of the men’s domestic season.”
The men’s County Championship was initially scheduled to start on April 12.
Meanwhile, Warwickshire has confirmed that Australian off-spinning all-rounder Chris Green will no longer join Birmingham Bears squad for this year’s Vitality Blast tournament.
Green (26) was due to return as Bears captain for the 2020 Vitality Blast, but as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and the delayed start to the season, recently appointed Club Captain Will Rhodes will now skipper in T20 cricket alongside his First Class and List A roles.
“All of the Cricket Management Team and players think the world of Chris,” said Bears Sport Director Paul Farbrace. “Nobody should forget the commitment that he showed to the Bears last summer by coming into the side for our Vitality Blast home match with Notts Outlaws, within 24 hours after completing a match in the Global T20 Canada.
“These are unfortunate circumstances and sadly the impact of COVID is something that every cricket club and organisation is feeling.
“Chris is a true professional. His willingness to support the Club and his and way of dealing with this has been exemplary. We certainly hope that we can bring him back to Edgbaston as a Bear soon.”
T20 specialist Green is a long-term Sydney Thunder player in the Big Bash League in Australia and joined the Bears in last year’s Blast, as a replacement for the injured Ashton Agar, and he went on to play the final six games of the tournament.