Cricket Australia and New Zealand Offers Help to ECB

The England and Wales cricket board (ECB) revealed that they have received offers from Cricket Australia and New Zealand to help England in reviving their domestic cricket. 

The COVID-19 outbreak has forced the world to be in a complete lockdown. As a result all the cricket events and series have been suspended for an indefinite time. In comparison to the other estates, UK is in major crisis owing to the massive spread of the novel coronavirus. To date, 143K people have been tested for this deadly virus while 19,506 have lost their lives in the UK. As a result, the ECB has decided to abandon the game of cricket in the country till July 1. 

However, this decision will adversely affect the financial conditions of the board. Therefore, the authorities are thinking of a change in venue to host the domestic season. ECB chief executive Tom Harrison told BBC Sport the board had received “multiple offers” from other countries to help with the domestic season.

Harrison said, “We’ve had offers as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Those offers are on the table.”

BBC had earlier reported that Surrey chairman Richard Thompson had admitted that Abu Dhabi had offered to host matches.

On this Tom commented, “I haven’t had anything from Abu Dhabi, but that’s not to say the offer hasn’t been made,”

Cricket Australia can make exemptions for India

The COVID-19 pandemic has also hit the Cricket Australia badly. The Board is facing financial crisis owing to which it has decided to lay off 80 percent of its staff. 

The Australian government has sealed the borders of the country for a period of 6 months. However, special permission can be given to the Indian team so that the test series can happen. India and Australia have to face each other in a 4 match test series in December-January in Australia. 

According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, “International exemptions to allow an India touring party to arrive in Australia next summer would be seriously considered by the federal government. In the event of wider travel bans, strongly suggesting that Cricket Australia will be able to avoid losing up to AUD 300 million in revenue in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.”