England's cricketers would not play any rescheduled Test series against West Indies in the Caribbean until December at the earliest, it has emerged.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY PAUL NEWMAN: Expectations of Dan Lawrence were always likely to be great once he had scored a century in his second Championship appearance.

Not only is the 37-year-old fully fit after the broken rib that curtailed his tour of South Africa but he wants to ensure he makes the very most of what remains of his record-breaking career.

Following the ball-tampering scandal of March 2018, Cricket Australia handed Smith a 12-month suspension adding he would not be considered for captaincy for another year after that.

Joe Root has issued a warning about player burnout this winter as England's cricketers face a fixture pile-up caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY PAUL NEWMAN: Ben Foakes has revealed the 'mental burn-out' that led to him losing his passion for cricket - before an extended break saw 'the fire come back'.

The Test side could face West Indies or Pakistan, this season's proposed red-ball opponents, while Eoin Morgan's white-ball World Cup winners face Australia, who are currently due here in July

EOIN MORGAN: As we took the field to defend 15 in the super over in the World Cup final last summer, Jos Buttler told me he hoped I had a couple of shamrocks in my pocket.

Pat Cummins expects the IPL to be merely delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and is optimistic the home Twenty20 World Cup will go ahead as scheduled later this year.

Late last year, and with a heavy heart, I was rereading Bob Willis's Diary of a Cricket Season, written in 1978. After only three paragraphs, Bob was in off the long run.

PAUL ALLOTT: Bob would have been the last person to think of himself as an all-action hero, but it described my old friend better than he ever knew.

Ben Stokes, the hero of England's dramatic World Cup triumph and the miracle of Headingley last summer, has been named the leading cricketer in the world.

COMMENT BY LAWRENCE BOOTH: In the editor's notes in this year's Wisden I suggested the English game has a problem with unconscious bias - which is not the same as overt racism.

Wisden is published on Thursday for the 157th time. It is full of joy, and staring into the abyss. The Almanack's arrival usually coincides with a spring in cricket's step. But this year, not so much.

Ashley Giles says England's players will have 'no excuses' for not being fully fit to start a truncated cricket season he still believes can take place later this summer.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY TIM RICH: Ian Gould has just been walking on the seafront at Hove. It is eerie; empty. He retired as an international umpire after 13 years following last summer's World Cup.

With no cricket to fill the live schedules as a result of the coronavirus lockdown, Ben Stokes rewatched his 'miracle of Headlingley' for the first time with his epic 135 not out performance.

Coco Cuhna made the mistake of suggesting to her cricket coach boyfriend that it might be fun to see if he could show her how to bat when she saw him whacking a few tennis balls into a net.

The dream of becoming the first brothers to play Test cricket together for England since the Hollioakes is sustaining Tom and Sam Curran as they endure being apart during lockdown.

Phil Neville played alongside former all-rounder Andrew Flintoff for Lancashire's age-group sides, and also went on to make an appearance for their second XI before turning to football.

Fears over international teams getting stuck at this year's Twenty20 World Cup will feature prominently in the ICC's teleconference talks between chief executives next Thursday.

If cricket returns while Covid-19 is still a threat, bowlers will be asked to throw clothing and other things such as sunglasses beyond the boundary rope instead of handing to officials.

EXCLUSIVE: Ian Watmore quit his leading Football League role in November 2018 citing poor health. But it can be revealed a week earlier the EFL had commissioned an independent inquiry.

EXCLUSIVE BY PAUL NEWMAN: Cricket's biggest counties are most in danger of collapsing under the financial pressure of the coronavirus pandemic, claims Richard Thompson.

The ECB have been given a free run at reorganising their international summer plans after West Indies prioritised their three Tests in England over home series against New Zealand and South Africa.

England cricket legend Andrew Flintoff has recalled how Newcastle boss Steve Bruce once bailed him out of a sticky situation at a restaurant after his credit card had maxed out.

There are fears that the current restrictions put in place by their federal government preventing Australians flying abroad in all but essential circumstances will last into final quarter of this year.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: Sportsmail has learned that all players are entitled to 12.5 per cent of their deals even if the competition does not take place.

The four-week tournament remains in its scheduled slot of an October 18 start, although Cricket Australia have reserved the right in the circumstances to reassess the situation as late as August.

SPECIAL REPORT: There are growing concerns that the new franchise-based tournament is unaffordable given the challenges facing cricket amid the coronavirus pandemic.

COMMENT: The postponement of the controversial new format for at least a year - which will be confirmed on Friday - gives the ECB the opportunity to admit their mistake.

The ECB had initially announced that no cricket would be played in the UK until May 28 at the earliest, but - as expected - the pandemic has caused a further delay.

The ECB have delayed the 2020 season until at least July 1, leaving just three months to complete the remaining nine County Championship rounds, the Twenty20 Blast and the new Hundred competition.

The prospect of the sanctioned use of artificial substances to alter the condition of the red ball, under the supervision of umpires, has been debated this week by the ICC's medical committee.

Next month is the 10th anniversary of England's first global title with the World T20 which they won with a resounding victory over the Australians at Kensington Oval, Barbados.

Lockdown has offered extended periods of reflection for sports people and Joe Denly has had a lot to ponder. Not least how spectacularly things have transformed for him in the last decade.

ECB chief Tom Harrison revealed on Friday that he had offers 'on the table' from both New Zealand and Australia, as English cricket explores all options in a bid to fulfil its fixture list.

England paceman Jofra Archer has finally found his missing World Cup winner's medal after going 'mad' looking for it following a recent house move.

The Hundred's inaugural season is set to be formally delayed at a board meeting of the England and Wales Board Cricket Board.

EXCLUSIVE BY DAVID COVERDALE: Durham chief executive Tim Bostock no longer expects him to come over as he is needed back Down Under in September ahead of the Sheffield Shield.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: The ECB instigated a review into Watmore's appointment last week after revelations that he had been subject of an independent whistleblowing report.

Eoin Morgan's world champions are now eight points clear of India following their dominance in the format over recent years with New Zealand, the defeated finalists at Lord's last July, in third.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY LAWRENCE BOOTH: The summer of 1970 remains unique in the annals of English cricket. South Africa, the scheduled tourists, were ditched after protests.

Sportsmail understands that while the ECB have not been involved directly in talks with the Board of Control for Cricket in India they are aware of the various contingencies being drawn up.

MCC members have been told there no full or partial refunds of their annual subscriptions despite the prospect of watching cricket at Lord's being "increasingly remote" this season.

With no live cricket being played due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Sportsmail columnists Nasser Hussain and David Lloyd are answering your questions.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RICHARD GIBSON: Sam Billings refuses to be haunted by the prospect of missing a second World Cup in as many years due to circumstances beyond his control.

EXCLUSIVE BY RICHARD GIBSON: Currently Pakistan are due to contest three Tests in August, plus three Twenty20 internationals, but are understood to be open to a longer stay.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY DAVID COVERDALE: Hales could have done no more to push his case for a place in England's T20 World Cup squad but he knows that runs alone are not enough.

The 51-year-old actor said his twin boys were fine on Thursday following his ex-wife's recent breakdown in Utah.