European Cricket League postponed until 2021 due to coronavirus

Now a 16-team competition, it had been due to start on May 31 at La Manga Club and then continue for eight days

The European Cricket League has been postponed until 2021 as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The tournament had expanded exponentially ahead of its second year, but government directives in Spain around mass gatherings, as well as fears over the transmission of coronavirus, have seen the cancellation of the event.

Now a 16-team competition, it had been due to start on May 31 at La Manga Club and then continue for eight days.

However, a state of emergency has been declared by the authorities, with further restrictions introduced by the regional government of Murcia due to the spread of the virus.

ECL Founder Daniel Weston said: “Pending further developments related to the pandemic, we are forced to make this decision to safeguard the health and well-being of fans, players, officials, teams, media members, staff and the general public.

“Clearly, the current situation is beyond anybody’s reasonable control, forcing this sensible and swift decision to be made in the interests of public health.

“We are very mindful of the understandable government concerns regarding travel and public events and must play our part in keeping everyone safe and healthy.”

Coronavirus and cricket: Everything that's happened so far

Juan Carlos Rodriguez, President of Cricket Espana, added: “Cricket Espana and the European Cricket League take public health matters very seriously and must take all necessary steps to ensure that everyone has a safe cricketing experience, including teams, stakeholders, sponsors, fans and partners.”

The domestic T20 club champions from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia and Spain took part in the first competition, while 15 nations were due to be involved this year.

In 2019, coverage was broadcast in more than 120 countries, with 140 million households reached through 43 different broadcast partners.

Dutch club V.O.C. Rotterdam ultimately won the competition, defeating German outfit SG Findorff in remarkable fashion, with Rotterdam making 222 from their ten overs.

Pavel Florin, the Romanian cricketer, became a cult hero of the competition after his bowling action went viral.

^{Image: Twitter - @Seelaar8}