Published 19:16 IST, May 5th 2020
England cricket to shockingly lose £380 million if no cricket is played in 2020: Report
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) CEO Tom Harrison has said that coronavirus could have huge financial implications if no cricket is played in 2020.
Advertisement
The coronavirus situation in the UK has brought entire England's domestic and international cricket season to a standstill. While players are currently under self-isolation due to the coronavirus, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are staring at huge loss money in case the cricket season fails to get underway. According to a report by Daily Mail, ECB CEO Tom Harrison has said that the coronavirus could have massive financial implications with ECB staring at losses of $470 million (£380 million).
Coronavirus UK: ECB set to cop major financial blow due to lack of cricket
As the coronavirus UK has brought normal life to a standstill, the England county season has been delayed with no start date announced yet, while The Hundred has been delayed until 2021. According to the report, Harrison has said that if no cricket takes place in England this year in a worst-case scenario, then it could cost ECB $470 million (£380 million) at the loss of 800 days of club cricket.
He further said that through this process of understanding the impact of Covid-19 on cricket, the board will look at safety and also do whatever they can to support the cricket network at both county and recreational levels. He added that it is the most significant financial challenge the ECB has ever faced in the history of its existence so far.
England hopes for some cricket action back home
England was hoping to play six Tests this summer at only two venues - the Ageas Bowl in Southampton and Old Trafford in Manchester. The Joe Root-led side was scheduled to play the Tests against West Indies and Pakistan behind closed doors from July 8. It is also reported that in the event of England not being able to host their summer at all, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are two major cities that have separately offered the ECB the opportunity of doing so, having acted in the same capacity for Pakistan for most of the last decade.
Coronavirus UK: ECB cancels contracts of players signed up for The Hundred
The ECB recently cancelled the contracts of the players who were due to participate in the inaugural edition of 'The Hundred', which was pushed to next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hundred was scheduled to be held between July 17 and August 15 but had to be postponed because of the pandemic. According to BBC Sport, the ECB sent letters to all the players for informing them about the termination of their contracts.
19:16 IST, May 5th 2020