The ECB have confirmed that no professional cricket will take place until at least the start of July, meaning that the home Test series against West Indies, that was due to conclude by June 29, already needs to be rescheduled. ECB CEO Tom Harrison has also confirmed that any further delays would mean that England would not be able to complete their full international schedule this summer.

England currently have a gap of around one and a half months in their international calendar between the end of the T20 World Cup in Australia and the start of their tour of India in early 2021 where they could theoretically contest rescheduled series.

The novel coronavirus has spread considerably slower in New Zealand than it has in the UK. At the time of writing, there have been just 18 confirmed deaths due to Covid-19 in New Zealand, compared to over 20,000 in the UK.