The 2020 county season begins on August 1st, the cricket board of England and Wales has confirmed.
Final approval for the formats to be played by men’s teams will be approved in early July at a meeting of the 18 top clubs.
Two competitions with four-day and Twenty20 cricket were discussed, based on regional groups.
“Planning for the return of the women’s home game is still ongoing,” said ECB chief Tom Harrison.
There has been no cricket on mainland Britain this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but England will start a closed-door test series against the West Indies next month.
The County Championship should have started on April 12, but instead all clubs except Surrey and Lancashire have given leave to players and other employees under the government’s employment program.
And the ban meant that the opening season of The Hundred, the ECB’s new tournament with eight regional teams, was reset to 2021 and men’s team salaries were lowered.
“Safety has top priority”
Harrison said setting a date for the start of the county season is an “important step” and the intention is to publish a full game schedule after the counties meet.
He added: “It follows a broad consultation between the 18 top counties, the Professional Cricketers’ Association and the ECB, and was only achievable thanks to the considerable amount of hard work that continues to be done as we prepare for a domestic season, such as she doesn’t have the game yet. ” faced before.
“It must be emphasized that the safety of our players, staff and officials has been a top priority in all discussions and that governance will continue to shape our planning and preparation.”
Rob Andrew, Sussex’s chief executive, told the BBC earlier this month that the options discussed included a “meaningful Red Ball Cricket” competition and a T20 blast based on three regionalized groups of six teams, each in one Finale culminates.
Andrew said, however, if the four-day / T20 explosion plan was not possible, competition over 50 could be a third option.
Elite elite structure in planning
Competition in the Women’s Super League ended last summer, but Harrison insisted that the board’s commitment to his home game, which is now based on eight regional hubs, was “unshakable”.
A group of 24 English players are training ahead of a possible tri-series against India and South Africa in September, while others have received regional retainers as part of a quest for greater professionalism.
Harrison continued: “Our strong preference is that the new elite structure of women starts this summer and we will work hard to make it happen.
“To achieve this, a brand new infrastructure needs to be introduced, in addition to the requirements we need for cricket competition during a pandemic.
“In the event that this is impossible, we will consider other game options so that our players can play competitive domestic cricket in 2020.”
