Lancashire bound for Liverpool CC during condensed county season

Director of cricket Paul Allott says it is inevitable that the Red Rose will play matches at the outground with Emirates Old Trafford unavailable

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Lancashire will play a portion of home matches during the upcoming county season at Liverpool CC, director of cricket Paul Allott has indicated.

Emirates Old Trafford will host the second and third Tests of the West Indies' series against England having been made a biosecure venue.

Pakistan's schedule, which is yet to be confirmed, is also likely to include a trip to Manchester.

The England and Wales Cricket Board have declared that county cricket can start from August 1.

Aigburth, home of Liverpool, is therefore likely to play host to a clutch of matches during the 2020 campaign.

“Liverpool is our second ground," he told the Liverpool Echo. "And with Emirates Old Trafford being out of commission due to international cricket... you can put two and two together and make four, can’t you?

“It’s almost certain that Liverpool will stage some Lancashire cricket.

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“I can’t say definitively because there’s still some hoops to jump through, and they’re not necessarily of Liverpool’s or Lancashire’s making – there are rules and regulations we have to follow now with trying to make grounds as safe and secure as they can be.

“But it’s 95% certain that we’ll play at Liverpool at some point.”

The ground has previously hosted 199 first-class matches, though Lancashire have only played one red-ball game at the venue since 2014.

Sussex and Glamorgan have already ruled out using outgrounds during what remains of the summer, while Hampshire have been forced to prepare for the new campaign away from The Ageas Bowl at Arundel.

What remains to be seen is what form the reduced schedule will take. On July 7 a vote will take place to decide if a 50-over competition or a regionalised County Championship will supplement the T20 Blast.

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Allott is adamant that red-ball cricket should be prioritised.

“This crisis has affected everybody up and down the country, in all walks of life,” he added.

“We’ve been very careful and cautious in our return to training, which occurred a couple of weeks ago – maintaining all the protocols and practices – and we have always been keen to start playing as soon as we were given the nod by the Government and the ECB.

“We’re very keen to play all forms of the game – I think it sends the right message out to the cricket-watching public.

“I’ll be deeply disappointed if we’re prevented from playing red-ball cricket. I think it’s vital to play both forms, especially in such a truncated season.”

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