2020 County Championship

The 2020 County Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2020 Specsavers County Championship, will be the 121st cricket County Championship season, with ten teams in Division One and eight teams in Division Two. In December 2019, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that the toss would become mandatory again, after an experiment that started in the 2016 season where the visiting team was allowed to choose to bowl first if they desired.[1]

2020 County Championship
Administrator(s)England and Wales Cricket Board
Cricket formatFirst-class cricket (4 days)
Tournament format(s)League system
Participants18

The first round of matches were originally scheduled to start on 12 April, with the final round of matches finishing on 25 September.[2][3][4] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ECB announced in March 2020 that the season would be delayed until at least 28 May 2020.[5][6] The following month, Abu Dhabi Cricket (ADC) suggested using facilities in the United Arab Emirates between October and January as a possible solution to playing some fixtures.[7] On 24 April 2020, the ECB confirmed that no professional cricket would be played in England before 1 July 2020.[8][9] As a result of the pandemic, the vast majority of clubs placed players and staff on furlough.[10]

In late May 2020, the ECB looked at the idea of starting the County Championship in August, split into three groups of six teams, with a final at Lord's.[11] The ECB also confirmed that no domestic cricket would be played before 1 August 2020.[12][13] In June 2020, some clubs raised concerns about the logistics of travelling and the financial viability of playing first-class cricket, with 50-over matches being a more realistic possibility.[14]

References
  1. "Hundred playing conditions: New batsman on strike even if players crossed". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  2. "ECB announce domestic fixtures for 2020". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  3. "County Championship fixtures: Essex start against Yorkshire". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  4. "Championship and Hundred take centre stage in 2020 fixture list". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  5. "No professional cricket in England and Wales before May 28, ECB says". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  6. "County season delayed until at least 28 May because of coronavirus". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  7. "Abu Dhabi to offer ECB use of facilities in order to extend English season". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  8. "ECB announces further delay to the professional cricket season". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  9. "Season delayed until July as England-West Indies postponed". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  10. "Coronavirus outbreak: County cricket latest". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  11. "County Championship could include Lord's final with hopes for August start". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  12. "ECB update on the domestic and recreational game". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  13. "Counties wait for ECB approval on August restart plan". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  14. "Setback over potential first-class restart may expose county fault-lines". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
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