Lancs season is delayed until May

CRICKET

LANCASHIRE’S season won’t start until May 29 at the earliest after the ECB announced a delay to the start of the season due to the coronavirus outbreak.

And it looks almost certain that the

Specsavers County Championship won’t go ahead, with the first seven rounds of the competition being scrapped.

The ECB says it is focussing on the ‘most financially important’ forms of the game, namely international cricket, the Vitality Blast and the new The Hundred competition

●● Tom Harrison after suspending all professional cricket until May 28.

The Red Rose, who had already scrapped their pre-season trip to Dubai and South Africa over the virus, were due to start their Division One campaign against Kent at Emirates Old Trafford on April 12.

Now, their first match of the season looks set to be their opening Vitality

Blast match against Northants Steelbacks at Liverpool on May 29 - although work has already begun on revising the schedules to begin in

June, July and August prioritised to deliver as much international and domestic cricket as possible.

The decision was made following discussions with all first-class counties, the MCC and the Professional Cricketers Association.

ECB chief executive officer Tom Harrison, said: “It is the ECB’s first priority to protect the wellbeing of everyone within the cricket family, from players, to fans and colleagues across the game.

“The decision to delay the start of the season has been essential, given the circumstances the nation faces.

“We will make the very best of whatever length of season we are able to safely schedule in the coming months.

“With the information available to us at the moment a delay to the start of the professional cricket season until May 28 was unavoidable.

“This also allows us time to keep pace with a fast-moving situation and continue to plan for how a revised season might look. Critically, we can also remain as flexible and adaptable as possible.”