County cricketers in England have agreed to extend their reduced pay deal until the end of July as the domestic game remains sidelined by the coronavirus.

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) and the 18 English counties had previously agreed to a salary cut in April and May due to the financial fallout from the pandemic. The deal sees maximum reductions capped at 20 per cent.

Sixteen counties have used the government’s furlough scheme during the shutdown, with Lancashire and Surrey the only teams opting out. The England and Wales Cricket Board recently announced there would be no domestic play before August 1.

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PCA chairman and Worcestershire batsman Daryl Mitchell said: “Although a great amount of uncertainty remains in domestic cricket, it does appear there is light at the end of the tunnel for players to return at some stage this summer.

“However, with no cricket to be played in June or July, and therefore no revenue to be generated by counties, players have agreed to extend measures to protect the futures of all counties.

“This has not been an easy decision and causes a great deal of disruption to many of our members, however, the PCA players’ committee ultimately agreed this is the right thing to do.”