The UK government could allow live sport to restart from June 1 onwards, in a boost to the hopes of some cricket being played in England this summer.
Stage two of ‘Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK government’s Covid-19 Recovery Strategy’, the road map for exiting lockdown, allows for “sporting events to take place behind closed-doors for broadcast”. This step cannot begin any earlier than June 1, a date which may be delayed if sufficient progress in slowing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic is not made between now and then, but the advice says that “organisations should plan accordingly”.
The start of the cricket season has already been pushed back until July 1 by the ECB, and while that date won’t be moved forward due to this development, it does make further delays less likely. England are set to face West Indies and Pakistan in two three-match World Test Championship series, and Pakistan, Australia and Ireland in limited-overs encounters.
The inaugural edition of The Hundred has already been pushed back to 2021, with the ECB saying that they will prioritise the T20 Blast from a domestic point of view, with the short-form competition a revenue driver for counties and serving as important practice ahead of this winter’s men’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
It is less clear when spectators might be able to return to watch cricket live in stadiums. Stage three of loosening restrictions, which can begin no earlier than July 4, allows for some venues, such as cinemas, to be reopened to the public. However, this section of guidance states: “Some venues which are, by design, crowded and where it may prove difficult to enact distancing may still not be able to reopen safely at this point, or may be able to open safely only in part.”
