James Anderson also spoke about the possibility of playing artificial noise at crowds when cricket does return.

Earlier this week, team-mate Jofra Archer backed the idea, saying they should play the "clapping and the oohs and aahs".

Anderson was less sure.

"It’s a tricky one," he told team-mate Stuart Broad on Instagram live.

"I’ve seen other sports have been quite inventive. There’s stuff that can be done if we want crowd noise.

"To be honest it will be pretty similar to county cricket, it’s the norm there.

"It’s quite easy to play infront of a big crowd because of the intensity, with no people there you’ll have to find your own energy and intensity."

England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson says it's exciting to have the possibility of playing cricket this summer.

Cricket in England and Wales is on hold until at least 1 July because of the coronavirus outbreak, but the England and Wales Cricket Board are looking into playing series against West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland and Australia in a 'bio-secure' environment.

The plans would see players and media stay at venues - such as Old Trafford and Southampton - that have hotels on site for as long as eight to nine weeks.

"It feels a bit of a way off," Anderson said in an Instagram live with team-mate Stuart Broad.

"I think it’s exciting in a way that we’re talking about the possibility of playing this summer and to get professional sport back on the map.

"There are concerns but there’s no way we’ll play with those concerns.

"As long as everything is in place from a safety perspective, we’ve got some great people working on every possible outcome, as long as everything is ironed out, I’ll be quite excited to get back playing."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Premier League footballers are in the dark as much as everyone else about how 'Project Restart' would work in practical terms, says Watford keeper Ben Foster.

"I really haven't a clue how they are going to work it. It is almost impossible to come up with solutions," the former England international told BBC Newsbeat.

"I don’t know if we have to wear masks when we go back to training, I haven’t a clue. It is not going to be normal anymore, a completely different set of circumstances.

"How do you socially distance from a corner? Can a goalkeeper spit on their gloves?

"You can't go risking people's health to be playing football. Health is the most important thing. Going back to playing has to be done when the time is right."

Watford keeper Ben Foster says footballers possibly being tested at the expense of medical workers "should not happen".

All Premier League players will be screened and tested repeatedly as the top-flight aims for a potential return in 'Project Restart'.

It is estimated the Premier League are paying Hong Kong-based company Prenetics £4m for 40,000 home testing kits, with the information retained on a central data base.

"Footballers are not essential key workers, we shouldn't have access to tests before front-line workers," Foster told BBC Newsbeat.

Irish horse racing is set to resume behind closed doors on 8 June after a two-and-a-half-month absence.

The Republic's roadmap to emerge from its coronavirus lockdown had suggested that the sport would not restart until the end of June at the earliest.

However, the date has been moved forward as a result of talks between the government and Horse Racing Ireland.

There has been no racing in Ireland since 24 March.

• More on this story here.

Image source, Inpho

Rotherham chairman Tony Stewart is frustrated sides in League One could not be as decisive as their League Two counterparts.

"I wish we could be as decisive as that," he said.

"It is ridiculous. I believe there are two options now, one is to fulfil the fixtures totally and the other is the top two will go up, and the (bottom) three will go down, and the next four from the top will be in the play-offs.

"I am like most chairman, I am frustrated by the indecision, it is not just the EFL, we have got the Premier League, all the moneybags, the PFA has not been helpful whatsoever.

"It just seems like they need to bang their hands together. We need a decision, whether we fulfil the fixtures, the other option is the best option, but at the end of the day we need some decisions."

Vince felt it made no sense for four teams to be promoted but no one to be relegated to the National League.

"It's total hypocrisy to say that because we can't finish the season Stevenage shouldn't be relegated but four other clubs can get promoted," he said.

Asked why he was keen to continue, Vince added: "We get to practise behind closed doors, we get to trial live game streaming and digital engagement with fans. There's no harm in that.

"But also we get to finish the competition - we're here to play. The best, truest outcome is for us all to play the games and then there's no ifs, buts and maybes.

"At the moment there will be teams who will think they could have made an automatic promotion spot, could have made a play-off spot. It just seems like pass the parcel - the music has stopped and you've got what you've got."

Forest Green chairman Dale Vince disputed that the indication to curtail the season was "unanimous" as the EFL stated.

"I don't think that can be true," he told PA. "I know that is not our preferred direction of travel and we would not have indicated to the contrary.

"It might be that the dominant conversation was from clubs that wanted to do that, and that somehow swayed their judgement as to what was being said.

"But our chief executive was on the call and we want to play, and he would have said that."

Image source, Getty Images

Confirmation of the news we brought you earlier... professional tennis on the ATP and WTA tours has been suspended further because of the coronavirus pandemic.

All ATP tournaments in July have been suspended, including the Hamburg Open - a third-tier 500 level event.

WTA events in Bastad, Bucharest, Lausanne and Jurmala have been called off, with similar events in Palermo and Karlsruhe set to follow.

The US Open, which takes place in New York at the end of August, remains pencilled in for that date.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Premier League players have come under "unfair criticism" during the coronavirus pandemic, says England captain Harry Kane.

Last month health secretary Matt Hancock said players should "take a pay cut and play their part".

"We've shown we're doing everything we can to help support the NHS, charities and everyone who is struggling during this pandemic," Tottenham forward Kane told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"We came under a bit of scrutiny and probably unfair criticism at times."

Read more here.

Chris Day: It is so tough to get into the EFL. It would be unfair to relegate @StevenageFC, external or deny promotion to Barrow. The league should allow for an extra team next season (with two relegation places) as a temporary measure

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Today’s recommendations will be discussed at Wednesday’s EFL Board meeting.

If there is agreement, a vote will be taken by League Two clubs to confirm.

However, if it is decided there should be no relegation, it would require the Football Association to agree to the regulations that allow for two teams to be promoted out of the National League to be changed.

Newport County say today's decision has their backing as the supporter-owned club weigh up their financial concerns and player wellbeing issues.

"As a supporter-owned, community-based football club, our primary concern throughout this process has been the health and well-being of our players, staff and supporters, and the economic impact this pandemic is having on some of them and many others in Newport," they said in a statement.

"Should this indicative decision be formalised, Newport County realises this will be disappointing for many of our supporters. Many will have questions regarding the next steps for the club and football in general.

"As soon as a formal decision is made, the club will issue a fuller statement."

• 10 March - Last games played in Leagues One & Two
• 13 March - EFL suspended until at least 3 April
• 19 March - Suspension extended until end of April
• 26 March - All football below National League expunged
• 9 April - Season 'can be finished in 56 days'
• 22 April - National League clubs vote to end regular season
• 23 April - Clubs write to EFL over salary cap introduction
• 5 May - EFL clubs face '£200m hole' by September
• 15 May - League Two season ended, League One undecided

An EFL statement said: "Having considered the protocols and costs that would be required to be met to conclude the current season, League Two clubs have unanimously indicated a preferred direction of travel to curtail the campaign in line with the framework outlined by the EFL Board.

"In addition, clubs asked for consideration to be given to suspending relegation to the National League for 2019/20 as a result of circumstances created where fixtures cannot be completed. No commitments were made in this respect and the Board will now consider the implications of the division’s preferred approach at their next meeting."

Swindon's Eoin Doyle has scored 25 goals this season and is the leading scorer in League Two.

The Irishman has used an emoji to sum up his feelings on the situation!

Attempting to restart the League One and League Two campaigns was always likely to to be more difficult than in the Championship and Premier League, which could begin again in mid-June behind closed doors.

Many clubs in the third and fourth tiers have furloughed their players and, with no crowds allowed into stadiums for the foreseeable future, it would cost them money to stage games.

EFL chairman Rick Parry has also said 1,400 players across the league's three divisions are out of contract on 30 June. The majority of those players are in League One and League Two.

The National League decided to end its three divisions immediately on 22 April but they were waiting on the EFL to announce an outcome before deciding on promotion and relegation.