THE England and Wales Cricket Board have recommended that all recreational forms of the sport are suspended because of coronavirus.

The decision follows UK government advice to avoid unnecessary travel and contact.

Cricket Wales had been in close and regular dialogue with Glamorgan and the ECB and the call was made to shut down the game to help with fighting the pandemic.

“Following the government’s latest advice around social distancing, it is with sadness and reluctance that we recommend that all forms of recreational cricket are for now suspended,” read an ECB statement.

“This extends to training, pre-season friendlies and any associated cricket activity.

“Sport plays an absolutely vital role in the nation’s mental and physical wellbeing, and it helps people find meaning where there is fear and uncertainty, so one of our goals in the coming weeks will be to explore ways that we can support some levels of physical activity in communities, particularly at junior levels.

“Using our cricket community to support others could be one of the most important services we can offer during the difficult next few months.

“It will be critical that any decisions we do make are medically-led. And we will continue to work with Government and their advisors to ensure we are informed by science in our decision making.

“Over the coming weeks we will work with the game to understand what support is required across the cricket community, particularly local clubs and leagues.

“We understand that countless hours of work from thousands of volunteers have already gone into getting ready for the 2020 season and we know how disappointing this will be.

“We are thankful for the huge role that volunteers play in local cricket, to ensure the game remains at the heart of communities.

“We know that you and your clubs can play an important role in bringing your community together once we get past this period of time.”

The ECB will discuss the possibility of rescheduling the domestic professional season today.

It was said last week that all options were being looked at including postponements and playing games behind closed doors but things have escalated since then.

Glamorgan'are building towards their County Championship opener against Middlesex at Sophia Gardens on April 19.

The county are returning to Newport for a pair of Royal London One-Day Cup fixtures with Yorkshire heading to Spytty Park on July 31 and Nottinghamshire visiting on August 2.

They were forced to cancel a pre-season training camp in Spain with Matthew Maynard's squad instead being put through their paces at Sophia Gardens.

Director of cricket Mark Wallace said: 'While cancelling the tour is not ideal, the health of our players and staff is paramount."