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The 2020 English cricket season was originally scheduled to run between 2 April and 25 September. It was planned to have first-class, one-day and Twenty20 cricket competitions throughout England and Wales and as well as the launch of a new franchised 100 ball competition, The Hundred; it would have been the 131st year in which the County Championship has been an official competition.

On 24 April 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that no professional cricket would be played in England before 1 July 2020. In late May 2020, the ECB looked at the scheduling of domestic cricket for the summer, with the Royal London One-Day Cup likely to be abandoned. The ECB also confirmed that no domestic cricket would be played before 1 August 2020. 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. On 29 June 2020, the ECB confirmed that the county cricket season would begin on 1 August 2020, with the formats to be agreed in early July.

On 7 July 2020, the majority of counties voted to play first-class and Twenty20 cricket, with the Royal London One-Day Cup being cancelled. The launch of The Hundred was also postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic. A one-off first-class competition, named the Bob Willis Trophy, was created to replace the County Championship, which was suspended until 2021; the counties were split into three regional groups with a final to be held at Lord's. The eight new women's regional teams played in the inaugural Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

As a result of the pandemic, the vast majority of clubs placed players and staff on furlough. The traditional start to the season between the County Championship teams and the six Marylebone Cricket Club University teams (MCCU) of England and Wales, was cancelled. The first two rounds of fixtures would have been first-class matches, with the ECB stating that the 2020 University Matches would have been the last ones to have first-class status.

Cricket returned on 8 July 2020 when England and the West Indies began a three match test series behind closed doors at the Rose Bowl with subsequent Tests also played behind closed doors at Old Trafford.

References

1. ECB announce domestic fixtures for 2020, England and Wales Cricket Board
2. "ECB announces further delay to the professional cricket season". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
3. "Season delayed until July as England-West Indies postponed". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
4. "County Championship could include Lord's final with hopes for August start". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
5. "ECB update on the domestic and recreational game". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
6. "Counties wait for ECB approval on August restart plan". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
7. "Setback over potential first-class restart may expose county fault-lines". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
8. "Update on return to play for men's and women's domestic cricket". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
9. "County cricket: Delayed season given green light to begin on 1 August". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
10. "Counties vote to play red and white ball cricket when season starts on 1 August". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
11. "Counties could be offered opt-out as Hampshire express red-ball reservations". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
12. "The launch of The Hundred moved to 2021". www.ecb.co.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
13. "Everything you need to know about the Bob Willis Trophy". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
14. "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: The special-edition 50-over competition explained". The Cricketer. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
15. "Coronavirus outbreak: County cricket latest". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
16. "MCC Universities". Lord's. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
17. "Universities set to lose first-class status". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 August 2019.

• English cricket seasons in the 21st century
• 2020 in English cricket