Professional Players Back Three Divisions

 

County players back proposal for less first-class cricket.

Elizabeth Ammon.

The Times.

Wednesday, 27 April 2022.

PTG 3869-19022.

County cricket reforms are increasingly likely to include a reduction in the number of championship first class matches from the 2023 season after a proposal to that end received the backing of professional players (PTG 3865-18999, 20 April 2022).  The players have stressed, however, that all 18 existing first-class counties should be maintained and accommodated within any new structure.

The England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) “high performance” review, prompted by the declining fortunes of the Test team, begins next month, and one suggestion being floated is to change the County Championship structure from the present two divisions to three divisions of six teams, with each team playing ten matches per season instead of 14 (PTG 3851-18944, 30 March 2022). 

The review panel will include a representative of the players. It will look at, among other things, how to reform the domestic structure to better enhance the development of cricketers for the international stage.  There is general agreement among the ECB, the counties and the players that the amount of cricket being played is unsustainable, particularly for fast bowlers.

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) held discussions with its members and there was an overwhelming view that the focus should be on the quality of cricket, rather than the quantity, and that a reduction in the number of matches would be beneficial. The players are firm in their belief that a structure with 18 first-class counties should be maintained and that the T20 Blast should remain as an elite competition featuring all 18 counties.

One way of reducing the fixture congestion would be to change to a three-division County Championship structure. Rob Key, England’s new managing director of men’s cricket, will sit on the review panel and favours a move to three divisions. There could also be a reduction in the number of Blast matches, although this would meet opposition from counties who rely on T20 ticket sales for a large part of their revenue.

There may be scope for extra first-class matches outside the championship structure. A number of counties are keen on playing some sort of formal red-ball cricket abroad in pre-season, which would have the benefit of exposing players to different conditions.

There is also a feeling among players that more red-ball cricket should be played in the high summer months, although it will be difficult to schedule that alongside the five-week window for the Hundred in July and August. There is almost no chance that the marquee tournament will be moved to outside of the school holidays, because of its aim to attract a younger, family-oriented audience. One solution could be first-class matches between the best red-ball players who do not have Hundred contracts, playing for North and South teams.

A PCA spokesman said: “The players need to be the leading voice on the review to ensure that the game’s biggest assets are influencing decisions. It is worth noting that the domestic review is only one part of the jigsaw and the international schedule, pitches, coaching structures and player pathways as well as discussions around the wider global cricket landscape all remain vital in the success of cricket in England and Wales”.

The review’s convenor Andrew Strauss has said that proposals arising from his review may be “radical” but there will be strong opposition to any suggestion of reducing the number of first-class counties. The intention is for the review panel — which will include Strauss, Key, a player representative, a representative from the counties and two or three independent voices from outside cricket — to meet in May and float initial proposals, which will then be put out to consultation among the counties, the players, head groundsmen and other stakeholders.

Final recommendations will be voted on in September, with a view to implementing the changes for the 2023 season. Any changes to the structure of county cricket will have to be approved by at least 12 of the 18 county chairmen.

County Championship players to be asked: will you play less first-class cricket?
Elizabeth Ammon.

The Times.
Wednesday, 20 April 2022.
PTG 3865-18999.

County cricketers are being asked whether they would favour a reduction in the number of first-class matches — and therefore a restructure of the championship — as part of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) review of the English game. The “high-performance” review, prompted by the poor performances of the England Test side, will begin with a panel of six or seven people, including a representative of the players, holding meetings next month.

One suggestion put to the players by their union, the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), is a move to three divisions of six teams, which would mean that each county only plays ten championship matches a season, rather than the fourteen at present. This would bring the English system into line with the number of games played domestically in Australia and New Zealand, and help reduce fixture congestion.

Alternatively, the players will be asked if they would prefer to keep the present structure, of two divisions and fourteen first-class games each summer, or presented with other options, including a premier league of twelve teams.

Rob Key, the new managing director of England men’s cricket, has previously said that he would like to see a move to three divisions. Key will also sit on the ECB review panel along with some independent voices, including Dave Brailsford, the former director of Team Sky cycling (PTG 3847-18928, 23 March 2022), and Simon Timson, the former director of performance at UK Sport.

The PCA is understood to have two concrete principles it will take to the review. The first is that there should be no reduction in the number of first-class counties (18) and the second, that more red-ball cricket should be played at the height of summer. This season, there are no red-ball matches at all in August and only two in July because the schedule is taken up with the Hundred and the 50-over one-day cup. The PCA is, however, open-minded to the possibility of some re-structuring and is consulting its 400 members. The views of the players will be taken into account during the review process.

There is a recognition both within the counties and the ECB that the present domestic schedule is not serving either England nor the county players well and that too much cricket is being packed into the fixture list. Neil Snowball, the ECB’s managing director of county cricket, acknowledged in January that “we probably need to play less and focus on high intensity”, and Andrew Strauss has said that the review needs to be “bold and ambitious” and that English cricket needs “more professionalism” (PTG 3846-18925, 21 March 2022).

The review will involve four stages. The review panel, chaired by Strauss, will meet in May to agree some key principles that will then go through an “evidence-based independent assessment” by a consultancy firm, before a consultation process through the summer with the counties, players and other key figures within the ECB. Then some firm recommendations will be put forward to a vote by county chairmen in September, with a view to implementing any changes for the 2023 season. Any changes to the county structure must be accepted by at least 12 of the 18 first-class counties.