GLAMORGAN may be back preparing for the start of their shortened season on August 1 but Cricket Wales are pushing for club players to be given the green light for a return to the middle.

The Welsh county returned for one-on-one training in the nets at their Sophia Gardens headquarters on Wednesday.

However, clubs are still waiting to learn if they will be allowed to play matches in the second half of the summer.

The South East Wales Cricket League are planning a 40-over competition in August that is also open to Premier League and South Wales Cricket Association teams. Pool winners would continue playing into September.

Cricket Wales chief executive Leisha Hawkins is hopeful that 2020 won't be a write-off.

"There is deep frustration everywhere that there has been no cricket, especially as it is a socially distanced game, and any changes, such as field placing, could easily be implemented," said Hawkins.

"There are 185 cricket clubs around Wales. Thankfully they are still there and we have been pro-active in supporting them financially and we are all hoping the Government will allow us to start within the next week or so."

While the community game is hopeful of the go-ahead, professional cricket has light at the end of the tunnel.

England and the West Indies are preparing for a three-Test series in a bio-secure bubble while the first-class counties are set to thrash out how the shortened season will look.

A decision is due on Tuesday with Glamorgan head coach Matthew Maynard believing white-ball cricket should be the priority.

South Wales Argus:

The former England batsman said: "The Royal London 50-over cup is probably the better option, instead of four or five championship games before the T20 Blast, which follows in September.

"With the fixtures regionalised, it means you will be able to travel to away games and then return the same day with no need for overnight stays in hotels."

All-rounder David Lloyd will no longer captain Glamorgan in the One-Day Cup as club skipper Chris Cooke (pictured above) will be available.

The wicket-keeper was set to miss the tournament after being selected for The Hundred but the ECB's new competition has been postponed until 2021.

Glamorgan's overseas player Marnus Labuschagne will not be available for any competition and there are doubts over whether big-hitting batsman Colin Ingram will be allowed to travel from South Africa.

The rest of the squad were put through their paces in Cardiff this week, to the delight of Maynard.

He said: "It's brilliant to be back – it's like Christmas! The wickets are great and the surface was superb.

"The slinger came out nicely and the boys looked unbelievable – they didn't really look as if they'd been away. I had David Lloyd, Chris Cooke, and Kiran Carlson, and they were great.

"What all the batsman found tough was not to handle the ball and throw it back. They've got to kick it back or hit it back, and one of the lads said he found it hard because he felt it was disrespectful!

"Our backroom staff have done an exceptional job, everything is marked clearly and is easy to follow.

"We get through this stage one, and then we have small group nets before moving on to full group nets. We just want to make sure all players know what they are doing – no dressing room or pavilion access.

"It's different but the quicker we can get used to it, the quicker we can get to full stage nets at social distancing."