Cricket News: No professional cricket in England & Wales before May 28

No professional cricket will be played in England and Wales before May 28 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The England and Wales Cricket Board approved a seven-week delay to the start of the 2020 season following discussions with the counties and the Professional Cricketers' Association. The County Championship, which comprises four-day first-class matches, was due to start on April 12. The Champion County match, the annual curtain-raiser for the year, was to be played between the Marylebone Cricket Club and Essex later this month in Sri Lanka, but had been called off. The immediate focus is on options for cricket in June including the three-Test series against West Indies, the Twenty20 Blast and England Women's schedule against India. The West Indies Test series is due to start at the Oval on 4th of June. The County Championship was due to begin on 12 April but England are not scheduled to play until 4th of June when they start a three-Test series against West Indies.