ENGLAND and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) yesterday welcomed the government’s call on Saturday to resume sports activity in the country. Though domestic competitions in England cricket won’t be revived until August 1, gradual opening of sports venues has brought a sense of relief to the fans waiting for action in lockdown phase for the last three months.
Britain on Saturday said sports will make a fresh start beginning today but with strict protocols to be followed by all those involved with creating a sports buzz in times of COVID-19. Health and safety guidelines have been issued to sports bodies and ECB can’t wait to get cracking.
“We are extremely heartened by Saturday’s announcement from the Secretary of State, which will support the return of professional, domestic cricket behind closed doors, and provides a meaningful next step for recreational players to begin playing at their clubs again. Over the coming week, we will seek to understand the specific guidance from Government’s medical teams so that we can provide support for cricket clubs who will be eager to see their communities safely playing in small groups,” the ECB said in a statement yesterday.
The ECB’s optimism is justified since England is also getting ready to host the West Indies and Pakistan starting July in what the ruling body calls ‘bio-secure’ environment to conduct international cricket. The ECB on Friday announced a large group of 55 players set to represent England later this summer, provided all goes according to plans. Starting today, horse racing in England will also come alive after months of gloom for the fans. The Cheltenham Festival returns at Newcastle and that’s good news.
Despite the return of horse racing action, the scene would be a little different to what fans normally see at the starting blocks - trainers, jockeys and grooms will be seen wearing masks while there will be no spectators to watch the 10 races restricted to 12 runners in each competition.
Elsewhere around the world, German season Bundesliga continues to produce quality football despite no fans in the stadium while National Rugby League matches in Australia are also taking place after a gap of more than two months. In the US, NASCAR racing continued at Bristol, Tennessee, while a T10 cricket clash, the first one of its kind to be played in a Test nation, will be staged in Kingstown, St Vincent and Grenadines. What’s more, there are calls in football-crazy Brazil to resume the sport even though country is struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic.
