The Cricket Board of England and Wales welcomes UK governments’ decision, which will allow the ECB to host international matches from next month, to allow the resumption of professional sports behind closed doors.
The Secretary of State for Digital Culture, media, and Sports, Oliver Dowden gave a greenlight on Saturday to live competitive sport, to return behind closed doors in safe and carefully controlled environments from June 1.
“The Secretary of State announced on Saturday, supporting the return of domestic, professional crickets behind closed doors and providing a meaningful next step for recreational players to begin playing at their clubs again,” the Cricket Board (ECB) of England and Wales said in a statement.
The board added that it would study the government’s instructions for the secure restart of the game.
“We should seek to clarify the guidelines issued directly by government health teams next week to support cricket clubs who wish to see their teams play in small groups safely.”
“We appreciate all government officials who have worked tirelessly to encourage the return of sport and look forward to seeing players from across the game start returning to the field,” it added.
Despite the delay in their home season, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) plans to implement a comprehensive international program that will include a three-test series against the West Indies on 8 July and Pakistan and limited internationals against Ireland and Australia at ‘bio-secure’ venues.
Last week, the ECB named 55 players for outdoor training to prepare themselves for crickets behind the doors. However, the domestic cricket season is going to start on August 1.
