Fans encouraged to mark what would have been start of County Championship season

The ECB is asking supporters to record themselves facing up to a single ball – the first of the summer, before posting their videos onto social media at 11am – the precise moment at which the campaign was due to get underway

County Championship fans are being called upon to mark what should have been the start of the red-ball season on Sunday by facing the first delivery from their own homes.

The ECB is asking supporters to record themselves facing up to a single ball – the first of the summer, before posting their videos onto social media at 11am – the precise moment at which the campaign was due to get underway until the coronavirus outbreak caused an initial delay of a month and a half.

No professional cricket will be played prior to May 28 at the earliest, with a further review to come. Meanwhile, recreational cricket has been suspended until further notice.

The national governing body is hoping to reinforce the #StayAtHome message by asking people to create their clips at home.

An Oscar-worthy performance from the @Middlesex_CCC openers 🤣🏆

How will you face the first ball of the season on Sunday?#CountyChampAtHome #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/OMtQqsGlYx

— County Championship (@CountyChamp) April 10, 2020

The Middlesex opening pair of Nick Gubbins and Sam Robson have already set the tone, creating a mid-pitch mix-up between them, with both batsmen shooting the footage in their respective living rooms. Gubbins was ultimately left stranded short of his ground with an unsuccessful dive.

Fans are being encouraged to be as creative as they want and should tweet their clip alongside the #CountyChampAtHome hashtag, also including the Twitter handles of their favourite county and @CountyChamp.