The ECB [England and Wales Cricket Board] has announced its recommendation that all forms of recreational cricket be suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The announcement follows on from the British government’s latest advice around social distancing in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

The recommendation to suspend the recreational game extends to training, pre-season friendlies and any associated cricket activity.

“Sport plays an absolutely vital role in the nation’s mental and physical wellbeing, and it helps people find meaning where there is fear and uncertainty, so one of our goals in the coming weeks will be to explore ways that we can support some levels of physical activity in communities – particularly at junior levels,” read a statement from the ECB.

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“Using our cricket community to support others could be one of the most important services we can offer during the difficult next few months.

“It will be critical that any decisions we do make are medically-led. And we will continue to work with Government and their advisors to ensure we are informed by science in our decision making.

“Over the coming weeks we will work with the game to understand what support is required across the cricket community, particularly local clubs and leagues – who will have such a huge role to play in our nation’s response to coming out of this situation.”

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to the postponement of cricket fixtures across the globe, and the English domestic scene is likely to take a hit too, with the County Championship currently scheduled to begin on April 12.