England captain Joe Root says he is “very optimistic” that some cricket will be played this summer following the coronavirus shutdown.
The ECB has suspended all professional cricket until July 1 because of the pandemic, which has already seen England’s tour of Sri Lanka called-off midway through a warm-up game.
England were due to begin a Test series against the West Indies next month, while Pakistan are due to visit later in the summer.
A number of plans are being prepared to play international matches behind closed doors as long as government advice allows, with the sport in desperate need of financial income from broadcasters
"I'm very optimistic, hopefully that can be the case and it would be a real shame if it wasn't," Root told Sky Sports.
"I think a number of people are desperate to see live sport back on telly and the guys are all very much missing playing and would love to get back out there.”
Root also shed more light on what the set-up could look like if England’s players are forced to live in a ‘bio-secure’ bubble, after The Guardian reported that plans were being made to effectively quarantine the entire squad for the duration of series.
Under the proposals, a large squad of up to 30 players would be used to play six Tests in a little over seven weeks, based at Old Trafford and the Ageas Bowl, which both have on-site hotels.
"It would be the playing group and management, almost in your own little house, throughout and almost in isolation together, not interacting with the opposition, broadcasting crews, officials or media. Keep that as tight as possible,” he added.
"Within the grounds it'd be very similar, going into separate lunch rooms, how the changing room will look will depend on a few things I'd imagine.
"It'd be a very different look to how a normal Test week would go and the environment we work in but I do think it'd probably be manageable and hopefully that's the case.”
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