As the domestic season postponed by the ECB till at least May 28, Alastair Cook is concerned about the future of the County cricket this year. He said that the season this time might have been curtailed or abandoned totally.
County season future in doubt
On Friday the England and Wales Cricket Board announced that there would not be any professional cricket in England and Wales before May 28. The County Championship was due to begin from April 12 and it comprised four-day first-class matched. This clearly means that a good amount of time is required for the completion of the whole Championship.
The problem is that apart from the County Championship there are a number of tournaments planned already during this period. These matches are also needed to be rescheduled. The County Championship does not generate much revenue but is a very famous and reputed league as considered by the cricket fraternity. A number of faces from international cricket each year sign contracts with County clubs to improve their batting skills. It is also the curtain-raiser for the ECB cricket season.
Also Read: Before Coronavirus Cricket Got Interrupted In Two Occasions
Cook writes on County
Cook in his Sunday Times column raised his concern over the future of Country this season. He first acknowledged his love for the Country and the club Susses. He wrote, “I could have retired from all cricket when I quit the international stage in 2018 but I stayed on because I loved playing for Essex and that means the County Championship.” He recalled, “I couldn’t have asked for a better first season back on the (domestic) circuit than winning the title in the last game of 2019.”
England’s all-time leading Test scorer further opined, “Will we get to defend that title? As things stand, there will be no cricket in England until May 28 at the earliest. I can say this because I have no financial interest in the outcome but it strikes me that those proposing that the authorities prioritise the most profitable parts of the English summer — The Hundred, T20 Blast and the national team — have a point.”
He went on to ask “Can we salvage the four-day competition? “Possibly but that will demand that we all pull in the same direction.” But he did not forget to see the broader picture as well, “None of this is ideal but we all have to see the bigger picture — for our sport and the country as a whole.”
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