English cricket must prioritise revenue-driving formats in truncated summer, says Michael Atherton

The ECB board is meeting on Friday, with decisions to be made on which competitions are to be given particular importance in the likely scenario that large swathes of the campaign are disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic

English cricket must prioritise the formats likely to bring in the most revenue if the opportunity arises for a shortened season, believes Michael Atherton.

Days of talks between county representatives are to be put before the ECB board on Friday, with decisions to be made on which competitions are to be given particular importance in the likely scenario that large swathes of the campaign are disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The range of options being discussed includes tournaments downscaling, an extension to the season beyond the scheduled finish date of September 25 or the campaign being discarded completely.

Central to any plans will be the ECB's desire to stage fixtures included in the current broadcast rights deal, a £1.1 billion package which runs between 2020-24. The T20 Blast remains a major cash cow for counties while the governing body invested significantly in The Hundred, which is seen as a key aspect of the summer.

It seems likely that the Royal London Cup may well be sacrificed in 2020 with the County Championship also at risk, should the prospect of cricket be pushed back to July.

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“The things that would have to be prioritised would be the revenue-driving games because clearly the game is going to face a short-term financial crisis over the next two or three months,” Atherton told Sky Sports. “Everybody will have cash-flow issues – county clubs, recreational clubs, the ECB and so on.

“So, they'll have to prioritise the revenue-driving games, which will be the international matches and then the white-ball one-day games after that, whether that be the Blast of The Hundred or whatever - if indeed we get any cricket this summer.

“The two domestic competitions that are most vulnerable would be those that drive revenue least and they are the domestic 50-over competition and the County Championship, which may have to be curtailed.”

^{The Royal London Cup is likely to be sacrificed}

It would be the first time since 1945 that the country’s flagship red-ball competition was not contested.

Atherton also raised the plausibility of England’s Test and white-ball sides playing simultaneously as and when the time comes, should it allow the national side to fulfil its international commitments – West Indies and Australia are due for Test and ODI and T20I series, before Pakistan arrive for three Tests in August.

Middlesex managing director of cricket Angus Fraser has admitted he is open to the season extending into October.

“We can't play cricket in November, December, but there is talk about the season carrying on until the middle of October - and fair enough, if that's what it takes for the game to fulfil its obligations,” he said.

“The first priority for everybody is the greater social well-being of the community. But if we can carry on playing cricket till the middle of October – if that's what it takes for us, then that's what needs to be done.

“I don't think any club is going to be unaffected by this. Every club is going to be affected in some way, shape or form.”