Disappointment as Edgbaston Test is delayed
Warwickshire chief executive Neil Snowball said there is ‘collective disappointment’ as professional cricket was delayed until July 1 at the earliest – meaning the Edgbaston Test match was postponed.
Edgbaston had been due host England versus the West Indies from June 12-16 – with bumper crowds a huge earner for Warwickshire.
However, after the England and Wales Cricket Board announced no professional cricket would be played until it was safe to do so, Snowball insisted the safety of players, staff, members and supporters would remain top priority.
Snowball said: “There is collective disappointment across the game that the domestic, and now international, schedule will experience this forced delay as the country continues its course of action to manage the coronavirus outbreak.
“The club has played a full part in discussions with the England & Wales Cricket and the other 17 first class Counties and we are all committed to delivering the best possible programme of fixtures for our members and supporters.
“The health and well-being of our members, supporters, delegates, players and staff will always remain our priority and we are continuing to work with our stakeholders in the game to bring cricket and our non-matchday facilities back into operation as soon as it is safe to do so.
“In the meantime, we are reinforcing our commitment to the Covid-19 testing centre that we have in place at Edgbaston to support NHS staff and key workers and are working hard to deliver other community projects that can support those who have been affected in these unprecedented times.”
No domestic competitions have been cancelled yet, but the ECB will meet on Wednesday to discuss the inaugural season of The Hundred, which is due to start on July 17.
The ECB says it will look to schedule all international cricket between July and the end of September.
England women’s limited-overs series against India – scheduled to start on 25 June – has also been postponed.
