Yorkshire CCC players placed on furlough

The club has taken advantage of the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in a move expected to save around £60,000-£70,000 a month.

The scheme enables employers to claim a grant of up to 80 per cent on an employee’s salary up to a cap of £2,500 per month.

It lasts for an initial three months backdated to March 1, but could be extended if the crisis persists.

Yorkshire had already put the majority of their non-playing staff on furlough.

Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, said: “First and foremost, there is a bigger picture than cricket and it is vitally important that people stay safe, stay healthy and support the NHS in any way possible.

“We are in the midst of a national crisis and cricket is secondary at this moment.

“From a club point of view, we feel that these measures need to be taken to ensure as little damage as possible to the business.

“The players are disappointed not to be playing as they have worked hard during the winter and have been excited about the season ahead.

“However, they are all fully understanding of the club’s decision and we hope that the situation improves as quickly as possible to ensure that everyone can resume some kind of normality as soon as possible.”

Yorkshire had been due to start their County Championship season on Sunday against Gloucestershire at Headingley.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has said that the campaign will not begin until May 28 at the earliest, but that date is clearly likely to be extended.

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