A summer without any domestic cricket at all is now likely, according a report in the Daily Telegraph.
While the ECB are preparing for the international summer to begin in July against the West Indies at biosecure venues, the prospects of the 2020 domestic summer taking place, in England at least, seem increasingly unlikely.
The report in the Daily Telegraph states that for domestic cricket to be possible, the UK government would likely have to allow mass gathering events that see up to 500 people congregate in one space. Staging international cricket would only involve a handful of biosecure venues, which in itself is a logistical challenge and something not yet approved by the government.
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Holding a domestic competition without mass gatherings being permitted would require creating enough biosecure venues to host 18 county sides, something deemed “logistically impossible” in the report.
A county chief executive is quoted as saying: “We have to hope we move into a Phase B. Phase A is putting on internationals behind closed doors. Phase B is being able to host matches with mass gatherings of up to 500 allowed. That would mean we do not have to create a biosecure environment, just limit the number of people in the ground. That is easier to achieve and possibly cost effective.”
If the domestic calendar is unable to take place in the England and Wales, part of it could yet take place overseas. In recent weeks, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have come forward as potential hosts for part of the English domestic season in the event that it cannot take place on home soil this summer.
