PAUL NEWMAN IN KATUNAYAKE, SRI LANKA: England were only facing an inexperienced Sri Lanka Cricket XI but Parkinson bowled with accuracy and varied his pace intelligently.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY PAUL NEWMAN IN COLOMBO: Silverwood is relaxed and thoughtful as he sits in the cafe of England's hotel ahead of his third Test series in his first six months.

The participation of England players at this year's IPL has been thrown into doubt due to fresh visa restrictions on foreigners entering the country due to coronavirus.

Northamptonshire's decision to travel to Singapore on Monday for a 12-day warm weather trip led Nottinghamshire to scrub it, fearful that facing such opponents invited unnecessary risk.

STUART BROAD: It was quite an eerie feeling on Friday when Joe Root addressed us to let us know that the tour of Sri Lanka was off. We felt quite a long way from the levels of worry in England.

EXCLUSIVE: English cricket is facing a 'cash black hole' as it struggles to come to terms with the implications of the coronavirus. The warning came from Surrey ahead of a conference call.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: The ECB could face a legal battle with Sri Lankan officials to determine how the World Test Championship points for their postponed series are allocated

A number of English players, including Alex Hales, Tom Banton and James Vince, would have been involved in the semi-finals but they had already left the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Nottinghamshire continued pre-season preparations unabated, as Alex Hales self-isolates since returning from the Pakistan Super League.

PAUL NEWMAN: David Warner yesterday became the first big name to pull out of the ECB's new Hundred competition to concentrate on international cricket.

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.

As with every other sport, cricket has been thrown into crisis by the coronavirus pandemic. Here, Sportsmail's Nasser Hussain answers the key crisis questions...

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.

As a cricketer in the public eye, I have to be vigilant. Without wanting to sound too dramatic, I know that, if I get the virus, I could bring down the whole of the Sussex or England teams.

Former England captain Alastair Cook says he would rather the County Championship was not played at all this season rather than attempting to hold a dramatically condensed campaign.

The ECB are soon to outline details of the financial support package they will offer counties who will hit problems because the start of the domestic season has been delayed due to coronavirus.

There may be no cricket at present, but there is still much to discuss, and Sportsmail columnists Nasser Hussain and David 'Bumble' Lloyd are on hand to answer some important questions.

England's star cricketers have been nonplussed by reports that they will be expected to take pay cuts of up to £200,000 as the game repositions its finances because of the coronavirus crisis.

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 BY MATT HUGHES: ECB chairman Colin Graves will face calls from counties to stand down early and be replaced by Ian Watmore if the launch of the Hundred is postponed.

Professional Cricketers' Association remain resistant to pay cuts for their membership as counties seek to lessen the financial burdens pressed upon them by the coronavirus crisis.

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

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: County cricketers could be asked to play six days-a-week if a truncated season is permitted later this summer.

Sir Andrew Strauss has admitted to mistakes in the way he handled Kevin Pietersen during the dispute that was to ultimately tear one of the best of all England teams apart.

RICHARD GIBSON: The 31-year-old represents another arrival straight from his country's Test team, having featured in their most recent match, England's series-clinching victory in Johannesburg.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: Sky Sports have given their blessing to the ECB postponing The Hundred for 12 months - despite the competition's importance to their £1.1bn television deal.

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.

The ECB are considering a re-draft of players if they postpone the Hundred for 12 months - due to changes in status of Kolpak cricketers and the availability of overseas stars.

JOFRA ARCHER: Being chosen as one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year is one of the most prestigious awards imaginable. Even being nominated alongside some big names feels great.

Joe Root believes David Warner was better behaved in the last Ashes series than the previous one. The Australian batsman is known to be a lively character and Root thought he was calmer.

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 traditional toss of the coin was due to return to the County Championship on Sunday but the half-dozen grounds scheduled to host fixtures stood empty.

EXCLUSIVE BY DAVID COVERDALE: Eight months on and the noise of that unforgiving Edgbaston crowd is still ringing in Cameron Bancroft's ears. 'It was loud, it was intimidating.'

EXCLUSIVE: The ECB are preparing to postpone England's Test series against West Indies, put back the Twenty20 Blast until later in the summer and cancel the inaugural Hundred.

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.

LAWRENCE BOOTH: Rashid will turn 35 during the next World Cup in 2023 but with the tournament set for the spin-friendly pitches of India, he says he'd love to be involved.

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.

EXCLUSIVE BY DAVID COVERDALE: The ECB are under pressure to save counties by paying them their full instalments for the Hundred despite the competition's imminent postponement.

Almost the whole squad were stricken by two sickness bugs, the first a type of flu and the second a stomach problem, that weakened England in their heavy first Test defeat over Christmas.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY PAUL NEWMAN: Luke Sutton is looking back on the chance meeting almost nine years ago with his old Lancashire captain that quite possibly saved his life.

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.

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.

Sportsmail revealed in November that assistant coach Paul Collingwood had already been earmarked to take charge of the one-day home series against Ireland, scheduled for September.

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.

English cricket supremo Tom Harrison has warned of dire financial consequences for the sport amid fears that the new season will not take place at all because of the coronavirus.

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.

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.