While July is set to mark the return of international cricket, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is now keen for recreational cricket to resume early next month. The board also issued a statement on the same on Tuesday, setting an ambitions return date of July 4 for cricket to return in recreational form. While most major sporting activities have resumed in the UK on the highest level, the resumption of recreational sports is what is on the agenda of authorities including the ECB.
In its statement, the ECB cited the low-risk factor of cricket as it is a non-contact sport. With the cricket ball being the only equipment that the players have in common, the sport isn’t as prone to the Coronavirus as some of the other sports like football, basketball or rugby are.
“The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) along with the nation’s cricket players are keen to see the imminent and safe return of our sport at recreational level and have been working hard with government to achieve this,” the statement read,
“We believe that cricket is a non-contact sport, with very low risks of exposure, and that it can be played as safely as many other activities being currently permitted. It is our strong desire to work with government to see the return of recreational cricket on or around July 4, as they continue to lift other restrictions more broadly across society.
“We are heartened that the government has already permitted the return of other ball sports, including tennis and basketball, and we are sure that our interpretation of the risks around ball transmission is consistent with these other games.
“We can confirm that any guidance we share with the game will include directions on how to mitigate any risk from handling the ball as we continue to prioritise the health and safety of the cricket family in all our decision-making.”
