ECB Opt for a No Geographical Basis for 2020?

Not a U turn by the ECB, but a Y turn!!

Plastic teams being sold off to the highest bidder on a game to game, tournament to tournament basis, and the fools running the counties have given up all rights to object to this ! Another nail in coffin...

Elizabeth Ammon

January 2 2018, 12:01am, The Times

The eight teams taking part in the ECB’s new T20 competition will not be named after the location in which they are based.

The competition, beginning in 2020 and intended to emulate the success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Australian Big Bash League (BBL), will be played between eight new teams not linked to any of the 18 first-class counties. The Times understands that the ECB has decided that, unlike in the IPL and BBL, the teams will not be named after either the city, county or venue at which they are based.

Keeping geography out of the name makes it easier to move teams around for their matches and, if the competition is a success, potentially move matches to larger venues. It also allows for the introduction of new branding and a fan base not influenced by location.

Counties who wish to be a host venue for one of the teams submitted bids to the ECB’s major match group before Christmas and will give presentations to the group this month. The venues will be announced in March, along with the overall name of the competition and the team names.

It is almost certain that, at least initially, the eight host venues will be the eight largest grounds because of the ECB’s desire to maximise attendances. This means it is unlikely that matches will be played at smaller international grounds such as Bristol, Taunton and Durham.

The London Stadium has been ruled out as a potential venue, at least initially, because the competition will take place in July and August and also the cost of converting it to cricket.

It means that the eight venues will almost certainly be Lord’s, the Oval, the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, Cardiff, Old Trafford and Headingley. The teams will be run by an executive board comprising a chief executive and representatives from three or four first-class counties or MCC, although the competition and the teams will be owned by a new subsidiary company of the ECB.

The tournament will be played over 38 days immediately after the counties’ T20 Blast competition and will involve a player draft earlier in the year. Each team will be allowed three overseas players.

The ECB has acknowledged that the new competition will not necessarily involve players with central contracts because Test matches and one-day internationals will continue to be played at the same time.

The venues for all international matches between 2020 and 2024, including an Ashes series in 2023, will also be announced in March.