Cricket: Doubts grow over viability of county competitions as clubs face difficulty putting out sides

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Covid-related withdrawals and Hundred call-ups have decimated county squads

Northamptonshire will put on an exhibition match at The County Ground

Doubts are growing over the viability of this season's county competitions as clubs face increasing difficulty putting out sides.

ESPNcricinfo understands that the combination of Covid-related withdrawals and Hundred call-ups has decimated county squads with Kent, for example, now without their first-choice 17 players.

The ECB have already announced the cancellation of Derbyshire's final two T20 Blast fixtures. The club have been hit by a spate of injuries and Covid withdrawals leading to a situation where 20 of their players are currently unavailable. The club and ECB subsequently concluded they were unable to put out a team that could "maintain the integrity... of the competition."

Several other first-class counties have cancelled their List A matches against the National County sides which were scheduled for next week leading to increasing doubts over whether the Royal London One-Day Cup will even be able to ahead.

Even before Covid hit, several county squads had been hit hard by Hundred call-ups, with Surrey losing a dozen players. With the ECB desperate to ensure their new competition goes ahead, there are concerns that any further calls upon county squads will undermine the credibility of the 50-over domestic competition to extent where it is abandoned for a second year in succession.

Clubs are also understood to be struggling with stewarding, with at least one of them considering playing games behind closed doors.

The ECB on Wednesday confirmed that Derbyshire Falcons' final two Vitality Blast group-stage matches have been cancelled.

"ECB has determined that Derbyshire CCC is unable to field a team of a strength appropriate to maintain the integrity of the two matches and of the competition as a whole," it said in a statement.

"Derbyshire are adhering to Covid-19 protocols and managing a number of injuries. In addition to six injured players, 14 members of Derbyshire's squad are self-isolating after they were deemed as close contacts of an unnamed team-mate, who tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week."

Derbyshire were due to play Northamptonshire Steelbacks on Friday and Yorkshire Vikings on Sunday.

"Those matches will be deemed as having been cancelled," the ECB statement continued. "Under Playing Condition 16.11.4.5 the North Group will, therefore, be decided on an 'average points per completed match' basis."

Northamptonshire announced that Friday night's fixture at The County Ground would be replaced by an exhibition T20 match featuring two Steelbacks sides led by Josh Cobb and Graeme White.

"All existing eTickets claimed by Season Ticket Holders and Life Members remain valid and will carry over to the new event," a Northamptonshire club statement said.

The ECB also confirmed that the LV= Insurance County Championship match between Derbyshire and Essex, abandoned earlier this week, would be treated as a draw. Both teams have been awarded eight points plus the bonus points they had accrued before the match was abandoned, giving Essex a total of 11 points and Derbyshire nine.

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