Month: April 2020

6:23 PM GMT Cricket has never faced a crisis quite like this. With much of the world still deep in Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdowns, administrators are facing an unprecedented situation. At some point in the near future, sport will resume but in what form, when and where exactly, no-one knows. On Thursday, the chief executives of the 12 full-member countries along with the ICC management will convene via a conference call…

The West Indies men have not been paid their match fee for the home series against Ireland (January) and the tour of Sri Lanka (February-March)  6:13 PM GMT In middle of a global lockdown, international and domestic West Indies players are facing another challenge with Cricket West Indies (CWI) not paying their match fees since January this year that would under normal circumstances have been due for payment at the…

5:10 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Pakistan’s tour to the Netherlands has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision was taken in light of the Dutch government’s decision to ban all sports and cultural events in the country till September 1, with KNCB confirming the country will host no international cricket this summer. Pakistan were due to visit Netherlands for a three-match ODI series before a full tour…

4:59 PM GMT Chris Woakes says that England’s cricketers would be open to playing behind closed doors in a bid to get the international game back up and running after the Covid-19 outbreak, but concedes that his own focus would have to be on the Test and ODI squads over T20s if the plan to play different formats concurrently ever comes to fruition. Woakes played an integral role in England’s…

12:00 PM GMT Matt Roller Close Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets at @mroller98 Jason Gillespie is used to long-haul flights thanks to a long playing career and holding down coaching roles in two different countries, but his March travel itinerary would make even the most seasoned traveller wince. Soon after he flew from Adelaide to Cape Town via Dubai for Sussex’s pre-season camp, it became…

10:22 AM GMT The ECB have asked Barry O’Brien, the former Glamorgan chairman, to lead a review into the circumstances around Ian Watmore’s appointment as chairman. The review comes after the Daily Mail reported that Watmore left his role as chief executive of the Football League following allegations of misconduct. Specifically, the paper suggests Watmore could have jeopardised the league’s broadcast deal with Sky – who are also the ECB’s…

9:15 AM GMT The ECB board meets on Thursday to discuss options for the rest of the season. Here, we look at the likely outcomes… The Hundred The Hundred’s future is uncertain Getty Images It now looks almost certain that the Hundred’s launch will be pushed back 12 months. With budgets tight, the availability of overseas players likely to be limited and the opportunity for ticket sales reduced, the ECB have…

2:35 AM GMT Stood down staff at Cricket Australia may find themselves working at Woolworths after the chief executive Kevin Roberts approached the supermarket giant and cricket sponsor about temporary work opportunities amid the coronavirus pandemic. Roberts, who has maintained there is a united front in cricket about cash-saving decisions including mass staff stand downs on 80% pay cuts until at least July, dug in further on his chosen approach…

5:43 PM GMT Matt Roller Close Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets at @mroller98 Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom is confident that some international cricket will be played this summer, but has conceded that New Zealand’s scheduled tour to Europe in June looks “fairly doubtful”. Deutrom said that his board will “make every endeavour to be as flexible as we can” to find dates in…