'Don't want to lose next Stokes, Root:' Wood calls for resumption of cricket at grassroots

Joining the debate over the resumption of county cricket in England, World Cup-winning speedster Mark Wood has opined that English cricket could lose the next 'Ben Stokes or Joe Root' if the restrictions continue. This comes after British Prime Minister Borish Johnson decided to continue the restrictions on recreational cricket even as international cricket is set to return with the Test series between England and the West Indies. Wood remarked that a lot of people would 'love grassroots cricket' to be back up and running. 

“We don’t want to lose the next Ben Stokes, the next Joe Root, the next superstar that might be coming through for the game,” BBCP Sport quoted Wood. The speedster is a part of the 30-man squad announced by the ECB for the upcoming Test series against West Indies. 

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British PM continues ban on recreational cricket

Replying to a question regarding the resumption of county cricket in the House of Commons, PM Johnson stated that the problem with cricket is that the ball is a natural vector of disease, potentially at any rate. Boris Johnson also said that the same has been discussed multiple times with experts as well. In conclusion, the PM said that the government is still working on ways to make cricket COVID-19 secure, therefore the guideline cannot be changed right now. 

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Meanwhile, calling for recreational cricket to resume from 4th July, Michael Vaughan said that it was utter nonsense the game wasn’t been allowed to resume. He said that the players could keep a hand sanitizer in their pocket and use it every time they touch the ball as a precautionary measure.

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ECB releases statement

Following the Prime Minister's decision, the England and Wales Cricket Board also issued a statement and asserted that it is the board's 'strong' desire to work with the government to see the return of recreational cricket. "We believe that cricket is a non-contact sport, with very low risk of exposure, and that it can be played as safely as many other activities being currently permitted," the ECB said. 

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