UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that on Friday he had called in the “third umpire” as he announced that the recreational cricket would be allowed to resume on the coming weekend of July 11-12.
Earlier on Friday in a radio interview, Boris Johnson expressed his anger on thousands of club cricketers by saying that amateur game was still not safe to play amid the coronavirus pandemic because of issues surrounding communal teas & dressing rooms.
Johnson had already provoked a furious response from the likes of former England, Captain Michael Vaughan, by saying that in last month a cricket ball was a “vector of disease” despite recreational tennis & golf having resumed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
However Johnson in a briefing at Downing Street on Friday which was going on for several hours after his radio interview used interesting cricket terminology to signal that the club & youth game was on its way to resume back.
“Having been stumped on the radio this morning on that point on science again to be asked about earlier, which was the exact vector of the disease, I sought scientific advice and medical opinions,” said Boris Johnson. “The ‘third umpire’ has been invoked, and what I can say is that we do want to work as fast as possible to get cricket back, and we will be publishing guidelines in the next few days so that cricket can resume in time for next weekend,” he added.
The ECB who have earlier insisted that the recreational cricket could restart with lockdown restrictions being placed on pubs & restaurants are set to be lifted this weekend, open heartily welcomed the government’s change of heart.
“We are delighted that the UK Government has given their permission for recreational cricket to return from next weekend,” the ECB said in a statement. We will shortly be publishing our approved guidelines to help clubs and players prepare for cricket’s return.”
International Cricket is set to resume since lockdown on Wednesday with the first test match to be played between England & the West Indies at Southampton.
