The England and Wales Cricket Board will meet at some point today with an announcement over what happens next for cricket in the UK set to occur tonight.
Talks have stepped up during the last two days over how best to proceed with the 2020 season, with the County Championship scheduled to start on April 12.
The Champion County match, the annual curtain-raiser for the year, was due to be played between the MCC and Essex later this month in Sri Lanka, but has subsequently been called off due to the coronavirus pandemic.
🗣️ Derek Bowden, Chief Executive at Essex Cricket, on the players and staff returning early from Abu Dhabi. pic.twitter.com/XdlOyME4Na — Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) March 13, 2020
Officials from the 18 counties have discussed this week with the ECB the impact coronavirus has had, with several pre-season plans ruined and now the focus turns to what impact it could have on the 2020 campaign.
The County Championship will inevitably be delayed and discussions between the ECB board on Friday evening will set out how and what is to happen next for cricket in this country.
Surrey's director of cricket Alec Stewart suggested earlier that The Hundred and Vitality Blast competitions could be prioritised over domestic red-ball cricket, but the ECB will be able to reveal more after the conclusion of its meeting.
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