Roy and Crawley endorse plan to complete county season in Abu Dhabi
England batsmen Jason Roy and Zak Crawley endorse proposal to complete county season in Abu Dhabi between October this year and January 2021
- The ECB announced on Friday they will delay the 2020 season until at least July 1
- Abu Dhabi Cricket hosted Pakistan’s home matches from 2009 to last year
- Jason Roy and Zak Crawley are behind the proposal for the autumn and winter
- Crawley even suggested a alternative regional method to complete the season
England batsmen Jason Roy and Zak Crawley have thrown their weight behind a proposal which would see the county season completed in Abu Dhabi.
The ECB announced on Friday they will delay the 2020 season until at least July 1, leaving just three months to complete the remaining nine County Championship rounds, the Twenty20 Blast and the new Hundred competition.
Abu Dhabi Cricket is set to offer their facilities, which hosted Pakistan’s home matches from 2009 to last year, to complete as much of the season between October and January next year.
England batsman Jason Roy has thrown his weight behind a season in Abu Dhabi
The ECB have delayed the 2020 season until at least July 1, including the Hundred competition
But Roy believes Abu Dhabi Cricket’s facilities could offer a suitable alternative in the winter
Surrey batsman Roy said: ‘It’s a pretty good spot! I think if you’re going to play some competitive cricket, you’ve got to play some competitive cricket. No matter where you’re playing, the boys would be champing at the bit to play.
‘It’s a left-field idea, but it sounds like a good one.’
And his Kent counterpart Crawley, whose England career began in South Africa last winter, added: ‘I’d have no qualms about playing in Abu Dhabi, as long as there was a safe way of doing it.
Zak Crawley also said he had no qualms about playing there provided that it was safe to do so
‘If we were playing in Abu Dhabi, it would obviously mean we hadn’t got enough cricket in in the summer, so I’m sure everyone would want to be playing. I can only assume that’d be the scenario if we only have a month and a half of the season.
‘I’d be more than happy to play in Abu Dhabi.’
Crawley also highlighted an alternative method for completing the campaign, saying: ‘They’re talking about doing a regional option now that it’s such a short season – Kent would play Surrey, Essex would play Sussex, that’s what we’ve been hearing. But it would be tough to play half a championship season like that.
If we do play four-day cricket, I think it would look something like that.’
Crawley also highlighted an alternative regional method for completing the campaign
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