The start of the county cricket season has been postponed once again until August 1 at the earliest.

A variety of models are being assessed for what would now be a drastically shortened campaign.

The previous holding date of July 1 has been pushed back another month as the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc with the schedule.

Hopes are high that England will be able to begin their international fixtures on July 8 in a heavily controlled bio-secure environment.

But the ability to host many more matches up and down the country with fewer resources represents a more complex equation.

The ECB are still aiming to stage domestic cricket for both men and women and changes to the structure of the first-class game, such as regionalised conferences, could help ensure the matches are meaningful.