LONDON, (Reuters) – The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) yesterday gave the go-ahead for professional men’s county cricket to start its season on Aug. 1.
The men’s County Championship was initially scheduled to begin on April 12, but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fixtures and format for the season are to be decided by the 18 first-class counties in a meeting in early July and plans will include both red-ball and white-ball cricket.
“It’s a significant step for our game that we are able to approve the start of the men’s domestic season for Aug. 1 and one which will be welcomed by everyone connected with County Cricket,” ECB CEO Tom Harrison said in a statement.
England’s county cricketers will continue to take pay cuts of up to 20% in June and July as counties reel from the financial impact of the pandemic.
