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Surrey President Richard Thompson says “the possibility of ending the county’s season in the UAE” must be considered, “after ESPNcricinfo revealed that Abu Dhabi Cricket will offer the ECB its facilities to use between October and January.
Abu Dhabi has avoided the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic so far, with low infection and death rates after a tight shutdown, as much of the UAE could return to work next week.
ALSO READ: Abu Dhabi to Offer ECB Use of Facilities to Extend English Season
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium, which had previously hosted Pakistan international matches, IPL and PSL games, and multiple preseason tours in the county, has two supporting ovals, creating the possibility that multiple games can be played in a single day. The land is ready for transmission in terms of equipment, and costs could be reduced as it is effectively administered by the state through a partnership with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
Talking to BBC Radio 4’s Today Thompson said those interested in English cricket should be “creative” in finding ways to organize games, with all professional crickets in England and Wales on hold until at least July 1.
“We are in extraordinary times, and extraordinary times require extraordinary decisions,” Thompson said. “I don’t know how this will unfold, but if that’s a possibility, it’s clearly something to consider.
“Abu Dhabi has made it clear that they could organize matches if the season were to extend. There are some challenges there, because you have the T20 World Cup in Australia and some T20I and ODI that England should play with in India.” that time, but Abu Dhabi and Dubai are well known for English cricket.
“A lot of preseason games have been played there, many other games have been played there, so if the season had to be extended, Abu Dhabi, I know you made this offer to the game, that if the season needed two months to finish the competitions, then they could be the hosts. It’s not beyond possibilities. “
Tom Harrison, executive director of the ECB, said there were “multiple” offers to take English cricket abroad in the coming months.
“It is not limited to Abu Dhabi,” he said. “We have had informal offers from multiple boards as far away as New Zealand and Australia about hosting the ECB’s cricket. Everything is on the table. The discussion about FTP, the T20 World Cup, the IPL … there are a lot of moving pieces and our winter is already congested. We don’t have enough knowledge at the moment, but it’s fair to say there will be changes to FTP. “
While the costs for flight squads to the UAE and their hotel accommodations would be significant, counties are used to traveling abroad for preseason travel, most of which were aborted this year due to the pandemic. Surrey traveled to Dubai for the preseason in 2018 and 2019, and was due to return this year.
And there is a growing acceptance at the ECB that it will be difficult to stage any cricket in front of paying viewers this summer. UK medical director Chris Whitty said this week that it was “totally unrealistic” to think that a return to normal life would be possible anytime soon, with some form of social distancing measures likely to continue beyond the end of the English season and in 2021.
“I’d prefer [T20 Blast games] they were made in this country simply by the receipts of the door, but later, if there is social distancing for another six to 12 months, and if it is behind closed doors, frankly it does not matter, “Thompson said.
“Broadcasting organizations are crucial to this. No government body wants to break an agreement with broadcasting organizations, so as long as you can deliver the product, no matter where you deliver it.
“Obviously, there is a significant cost to send 18 counties to one location and play a tournament that way, but if that’s the only option, and I would say that the Abu Dhabi option would only be considered if there is no possibility of playing in this country. – then you have to be creative. “
