The County Championship could be trimmed to make way for far more Twenty20 matches, according to proposals unearthed by The Times.
Jack Simmons, the former Lancashire chairman who now heads the ECB's cricket committee, has initiated plans to create space in the domestic calendar for an IPL-style competition. It would mean the existing 16 four-day matches being reduced to 16 three-day games, with earlier start and later finish times to allow a minimum of 120 overs a day to be bowled.
At present, there is a minimum of 96 over per day, so Simmons' plan would only see a reduction in playing time of 24 overs. However, players are likely to oppose being asked to bowl more overs in a day. When a minimum number of overs was first introduced in the late 1980s it was set at 120 per day, but finishes after 8pm were not uncommon and the number has gradually been reduced. However, overtime is still a regular occurrence.
The ECB seem determined to create a larger gap in the Championship season than is now the case. One proposal, believed to have been backed by the Professional Cricketers' Association, was to cut the number of games from 16 to 12, but that would have caused alarm among those who see the Championship as the nursery for creating Test cricketers.
"I think the county chairmen would agree to a reduction in matches if they are going to make more money from Twenty20 cricket." Simmons told the newspaper. "The England players should not have any say in this because they do not play in Championship matches. Yes, we do play too much international cricket and players become tired, but as soon as a sum of £100,000 is offered to them to take part in a competition in India they don't appear to be exhausted any longer.
"It is not possible to breed any players in Twenty20 cricket and my concern would be that standards don't drop. The way to learn the game is in the middle in Championship matches."
When exactly are people supposed to go and see the County Championship? Lancashire this year have 1 and only 1 game at the weekend. There was the 4th day of the Durham match on a Saturday a few weeks ago but the game was already finished. So apart from taking time off work how exactly are you supposed to get people to watch the 4 day game?????????????????????????????????
The way it's going they'll be able to knock the Test matches down from 5 days to 2 days in 10 years time and still have 4 innings. Kids never get to see real cricket unless they go to a Test Match. All they see is 1 days games. So when they are old enough to play for Counties and International teams they won' have been brought up with a mentality of not getting out - just hit the ball like in Baseball. In fact why don't we all give up now and start playing Rounders. You will never again see a Batsman play for 10 hours to save a test as Atherton did. Put 20-20 on after school and leave the weekends for real cricket. Posted by jumpa on May 20 2008, 11:36 AM GMT
i really don't think test and first class 4 day cricket would not be affected by 20/20 but don't see any reason to keep the 50 over game above 20/20. afterall 50 over game was also invented to attract crowd as 20/20 nowadays 30years back. Posted by pubudu on May 16 2008, 13:48 PM GMT
Why not make the county championship 3 divisions of 6? That way we could keep 4 day cricket which is vital to produce test cricketers, players would player fewer matches and it would free up time for a 20/20 league which is where the money is. Posted by Devon_Shark on May 16 2008, 10:49 AM GMT
Irrespective of 20/20 it might be an idea to reduce the County Championship to 3 days at the same time making the pitches more sporting to increase the chance of a result. And play these games Friday-Sunday and MARKET THE GAME.
20/20 can be played in the evenings and on the occasional week-end when the 3-day games aren't being played.
The 3 men and dog syndrome is as much about the lack of marketing as it is about the product. Play 16 rounds over 16 weekends so everyone knows the state of the league and the media can create a repeatable build-up like they can with a Football Saturday.
Get rid of the 40 over league stuff. Have 1 50-over straight Knock-out Cup competition if you have to. Posted by stornjo on May 15 2008, 12:01 PM GMT
Instead of reducing the games to 3 days why not tie them together like they already do with the Pro-40? You could maybe have a slightly reduced number of overs on day 1 (made up on days 2,3,4) and then have a 20-20 game on the same day as the championship - wouldn't create a "competition" in the same way as the IPL but could be done on a league basis.
This would have the added benefit that people wanting to watch the 20-20 could all see of the championship game therefore increasing attendance, interest and hopefully enthusiasm for the real game of cricket. Posted by MightyHammer on May 15 2008, 11:30 AM GMT
I agree it's a shame to tamper with the 4-day game. BUT...if they really went for this idea, why not create three groups of six teams. Each group is made up of teams drawn from a hat. Each group is drawn every year, just as in the various intl. football competitions. You might get the group of death or a group which allows the 'weaker' counties to have their season in the sun.
The top teams from each group play off in a triangular final. Prize money for topping the group and for winning the three-way final. This reduces the number of days devoted to the 4-day game from 64 to 48 (except for the finalists who play 56 days).
Having said that...I'd start by taking a serious look at the 40-over game!! Posted by jacquesuse on May 15 2008, 10:09 AM GMT
I think its time that they make indoor cricket grounds. If each country team can have one....T20 can be played during winter time....when there is nothing else to watch. Sure it requires huge investment....but this is something for 4 years from now. Well in mean time, y not just play it in some indoor soccer grounds.
There is no cricket in winter anyway, people will flock to indoor grounds and I am sure will be willing to pay more to cover additional cost of matches (higher cost associated for grounds being indoor). Posted by JeetTheVictorious on May 15 2008, 02:45 AM GMT
I don't believe the county championship should be altered in any way just yet. one day cricket is the one to watch. The 50 over competition should stay as it is the international and world cup format. The 40 over competition should now give way to a 20/20 competition. However I foresee in the distant future the new one day game being 40 overs due to the fact that 50 overs has become too boring and non competitive and the twenty20 version simply not allowing time for the skill of the players to shine through. Posted by iceman_7 on May 14 2008, 22:11 PM GMT
The Pro 40 competition is pretty much untouchable because this along with 20/20 are the only competitions the counties are generating any sort of ticket sales for. The County Championship is played in front of one man and his dog so therefore logically this will be the competition to be effected. I dont like it from a cricket fan point of view but it just makes commercial sense. Posted by D-Gen-X on May 14 2008, 22:04 PM GMT
At the moment there can be a gap of almost two months between county games at Bristol,so further reductions in county games would be unwelcome.If the powers that be want to change things they should scrap 40 over cricket and start county matches on a Friday.The much vaunted 20/20 could then be played midweek.This could mean more than one man and his dog would watch the four day game,especially as with most county games starting Tuesday or Wednesday most working supporters cannot see the match. Posted by pipeman on May 14 2008, 19:05 PM GMT
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