Cricket league hopes to start – in a week

Changing rooms must remain closed, while both the ball and bats will need to be regularly disinfected as part of detailed protocols distributed by the game's governing body to clubs this week.

Clubs in the Birmingham League have been given until Monday to raise any concerns over compliance, with officials aiming for the first round of matches to take place the following Saturday.

League general manager Nick Archer told the Express & Star: “Clubs have been given a lot of information on what they will be required to do with their ground on a matchday.

“As you might expect, there are quite a number of hoops to jump through and with 24 clubs in the league it would be a surprise if there weren’t a few issues along the way.

“But we are hopeful. The aim remains to start on the 18th and we would hope to give the green light early next week, depending on the feedback we receive from the clubs.”

Under the ECB guidelines players and umpires will be required to arrive at the ground already changed into their kit, while social distancing rules must be followed when making travel arrangements.

No teas or refreshments will be provided, with clubs required to mark out a dedicated pitchside area for teams to sit. Scorers must also sit separately.

There are no changes to the general playing rules, with wicketkeepers allowed to stand up to the stumps. One minor alteration will see the creation of batting lanes for batsmen to run at the side of the wicket, to ensure social distancing is observed.

There will also be regular time-outs for cleaning the ball, while bats must be wiped with anti-bacterial gel before and after use.

Birmingham League clubs have already agreed to a format which will see them split into four regionalised groups of six, with the winners going on to play for the Graham Williamson Trophy in semi-finals and a final scheduled for the final weekend in September.

Matches will be 40-overs-a-side using a red ball with players wearing traditional white clothing. The league had explored the possibility of using a white ball and coloured clothing but it emerged teams did not possess enough coloured batting pads to comply with tightened safety protocols which forbids the sharing of equipment.

Officials plan to draft a provisional fixture list over the course of the weekend, though every club has been told to prepare as if they were staging a match on Saturday week.

Archer said: “There is a lot of work still to be done but we are pretty hopeful of things running to plan.

“It feels as though things have already come quite a long way in quite a short space of time.

“Only a few weeks ago there were question marks over whether matches could even be 11-a-side. We are confident of playing some cricket this summer.”