Wait goes on for domestic schedule as fixtures not expected until after men's Ashes

Fans of the 18 counties, eight women's regions and eight Hundred sides will have to hold their breath a little longer to find out when their team is going to be in action

The domestic schedule for 2022 is not expected to be released until the men's Ashes is over.

Fixture release day, which had typically taken place in late November prior to the pandemic, was bumped back first into December and then into January as the ECB figured out how best to fit a congested calendar into a five-and-a-half-month window.

And now fans of the 18 counties, eight women's regions and eight Hundred sides will have to wait a little longer to find out when their team is going to be in action.

Sources have indicated that mid to late-January is looking most likely for the full unveiling.

^{The domestic schedule is not expected to be released until after the men's Ashes (Jacques Feeney/Getty Images)}

The men's Ashes are due to come to a close on January 18 - if the fifth Test in Hobart goes its full five days - while the women's series is set to begin two days later.

Several counties have been frustrated by the delay, which is believed to relate to both the new complexities of the women's fixture list in 2022 - with international, Hundred and regional schedules having to fit around the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham - and the situation at Yorkshire.

One of the 18 men's first-class counties had hoped to hang a pre-Christmas promotional campaign around ticket sales for the T20 Blast but had to abandon their plans.

In an interview with his club's in-house media department, released on Friday, Worcestershire chair Fanos Hira said he expected the fixtures to be available in the "next two to three weeks"

"Hopefully that will help members in terms of booking hotels and such for away fixtures," he said. "It is frustrating and we hope it gets resolved quite quickly."

Limited information has dripped out of the ECB over the winter, including confirmation that the T20 Blast will be played in a block prior to The Hundred, with Finals Day slated for Saturday, July 16 at Edgbaston. 

A limited amount of information about the look of the schedule has been made available (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

The Cricketer understands as many as five rounds of County Championship fixtures will be played in June and July, as the competition reverts to two divisions from the conference system which was implemented in 2020's Bob Willis Trophy and the Championship last year.

The Royal London Cup final will return to a Saturday date, expected to be in September.

The 50-over tournament is likely to run alongside The Hundred in August and September. 

Still, with little more than three months until a ball is bowled in anger, there is nothing more concrete to go by.