No professional cricket till July in England and Wales: ECB

London [UK], April 24 (ANI): The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday agreed that no professional cricket will be played in England and Wales until July 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
England's Test series against West Indies and England women's white-ball games against India have both officially been postponed.
"The season remains subject to ongoing advice from government and health experts, and continued consultation with all broadcast partners to determine the optimum way to fulfil fixtures both domestically and internationally," the ECB said in a statement.
The ECB Board confirmed that nine rounds of fixtures will be lost in the County Championship season, but blocks for red-ball cricket and white-ball cricket will be held in a revised schedule.
The Vitality Blast will be pushed as late in the season as possible to give it the best opportunity of being staged. All matches previously scheduled in June will be moved later in the season.
While an additional Board meeting will be scheduled next Wednesday on The Hundred, following a request to dedicate a further session to the competition.
"Our plan is to reschedule international matches as late as possible in the season to give the best chance of play. The Vitality Blast will also now occupy the latest possible season slot to offer as much time as possible to play a County short-form competition," ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said.
"Our biggest challenge, along with other sports, is how we could seek to implement a bio-secure solution that offers optimum safety and security for all concerned. The guidance we receive from Westminster will help us shape how we deliver this," he added. (ANI)