Buttler fine with England playing different formats at same time

England could field two different teams on the same day at separate venues if the COVID-19 pandemic leads to a compressed home season, wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler has said.

England have suspended professional cricket until at least May 28 due to the global health crisis, which also looms over their home series against West Indies, Pakistan, Australia and Ireland.

"I think I saw (limited-overs captain) Eoin Morgan say everything has to be looked at as a possibility," Buttler, 29, told British media.

"If it was logistically possible, I think you would get people wanting to watch.

"Is it an option? Could you put two games on the same day? Potentially you could, in different areas," said Buttler.

"It's right that it is being considered."

Asked which format he would pick if different formats were played concurrently, Buttler said, "I don't know, whichever one I got selected to play in."

The World Cup-winning player also saw some merit in the idea of playing in stadiums without fans present.

"We haven't watched any sport for a long time, and we know how big an impact TV revenue has on the game and how vital that is.

"I know it would be very strange playing competitive sport without a crowd ... but it would be nice for people who have been in isolation or lockdown for a long time to be able to see their heroes and role models back on the TV."

Talking about the Indian Premier League, the England player said IPL is "massive" in terms of stature and it is a "big shame" that it cannot be held at the moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Buttler, who plays for Rajasthan Royals, underlined the importance of a tournament like IPL.

"I don't know any more than you know about when IPL would be played or people talking about whether it can be pushed back. At the moment, everything is quite indefinite as no one knows how long it will last. So it can't be decided at the moment when it could or could not happen," Buttler was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Buttler, who made massive strides as a white ball player after a few seasons of IPL, spoke about the impact of not having an IPL and the effect it could have on revenue.

"As for the stature of the tournament, it's a massive, massive tournament. Revenue that is involved in IPL is massive. It is a very important competition to cricket and it's a big shame that it's not going ahead or whether it does have the way to push it in the schedule and allow it," he said.

However, IPL pushed back later in the year could well mean that some of the top players could miss the tournament due to their bilateral commitments.

"Of course, that might mean certain players might be unavailable. They will have to work through as the situation unfolds," he concluded.