Proposed Changes To Cricket in ENGLAND

[Mendoza]

Which of these ideas would work?? As proposed by the ECB this morning. Radical changes to incorporate a more exicting game and something to rival the IPL


Poll to come

 

[sten_super]

The way to do it has got to be to follow those who have the most successful record in producing excellent cricketers; and in recent times that has been, hands down, Australia. So I think we should merge the counties into 6 regions. However, I'm sure it'll never happen as there would be far too much opposition from the counties.

 

[Mendoza]

The 6 regions thing will give less opportunities for a player to play.
With 18 Counties, that gives 198 players a chance to play 1st team cricket.
With 6 regions only 66 players can play at anyone time.

Maybe it will mean you have to be better to get in, but with it limiting the chance to be able to play, it will generate less interest to even start playing and aspiring to the top level


I love the idea of the 20/20 double innings thing.

I would like to drop the 50 over 1day game, but if that is the standard international 1 day game, then we have to keep it, so we can be good on the in internaional arena

 

[Kylies Stunt Arse]

The way to do it has got to be to follow those who have the most successful record in producing excellent cricketers; and in recent times that has been, hands down, Australia. So I think we should merge the counties into 6 regions. However, I'm sure it'll never happen as there would be far too much opposition from the counties.

If the Aussies had more than 6 states then they would have a bigger competition. It works for them simply because it takes so long to get to away matches. It's not the same here.

 

[Scoffers]

The 6 regions thing will give less opportunities for a player to play.
With 18 Counties, that gives 198 players a chance to play 1st team cricket.
With 6 regions only 66 players can play at anyone time.

Maybe it will mean you have to be better to get in, but with it limiting the chance to be able to play, it will generate less interest to even start playing and aspiring to the top level

Right, but surely this would then introduce some sort of grade cricket to replace the out-dated 2nd XI leagues etc. So you'd have 6 teams with multiple grades. So you'd have the same number of cricketers as now, just with a far more defined process to get to the top.

There are a lot of average cricketers in the county circuit, this will sort the men out from the boys, and create real competition.

 

[Row Z Creased Shirt]

Of all the proposals the only one that seems to make any sense is the removal of the 50 over competition which as it stands is currently bloated and seems to have lost relevance with the arrival of 20/20. Taking the FPT out of the calendar makes room for a sensible expansion of 20/20 without it taking over the game. The County Championship is fine as it is, and a four day game is essential for the grooming of test cricketers, a return to the three day game would be a backward step. One thing they could do is look at more thursday and friday CC starts to make two weekend days available to increase attendance.

And another thing....if they really want to raise the profile of the game outside of a core base of support, how about a terrestrial tv contract for 20/20 and increase the audience from a few hundred thousand to a couple of million. What they would lose out on in terms of Sky revenue would more than be made up by reaching a whole new audience that currently is not involved in cricket.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Perhaps they could consider some mini-festivals in which to cram the Twenty20 in. Three/four sides playing over two days etc.

I would be deeply opposed to shortening the County Championship to 3 days and having regional sides.

Whilst it might be wise to look at the Australian model, I don’t think there would be enough proof to suggest that the regional sides play a large part in the success story over there. Cricket is one of their main sports.


Aside from that, our grass roots level is pretty shoddy. Not a single state school, in Brighton and Hove, has a non-artificial cricket pitch. So if any changes need to be made at the moment, it is a greater introduction to the sport at that level as opposed to spending money, time and effort, rejigging the game at professional level. Unless the ECB has the capacity to tinker with both issues.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

I think the removal of 50 Over cricket is inevitable. It used to be popular for the close finishes, but 20-20 has trumped it. Get rid of it.

It's important we keep two divisions to get some competition every week. Going back to one division would be a disaster

 

[Scoffers]

Perhaps they could consider some mini-festivals in which to cram the Twenty20 in. Three/four sides playing over two days etc.

I would be deeply opposed to shortening the County Championship to 3 days and having regional sides.

Whilst it might be wise to look at the Australian model, I don’t think there would be enough proof to suggest that the regional sides play a large part in the success story over there. Cricket is one of their main sports.


Aside from that, our grass roots level is pretty shoddy. Not a single state school, in Brighton and Hove, has a non-artificial cricket pitch. So if any changes need to be made at the moment, it is a greater introduction to the sport at that level as opposed to spending money, time and effort, rejigging the game at professional level. Unless the ECB has the capacity to tinker with both issues.

As usual, a solid and reasoned response from the BOFster !!

 

[sten_super]

Perhaps they could consider some mini-festivals in which to cram the Twenty20 in. Three/four sides playing over two days etc.

I would be deeply opposed to shortening the County Championship to 3 days and having regional sides.

Whilst it might be wise to look at the Australian model, I don’t think there would be enough proof to suggest that the regional sides play a large part in the success story over there. Cricket is one of their main sports.

Aside from that, our grass roots level is pretty shoddy. Not a single state school, in Brighton and Hove, has a non-artificial cricket pitch. So if any changes need to be made at the moment, it is a greater introduction to the sport at that level as opposed to spending money, time and effort, rejigging the game at professional level. Unless the ECB has the capacity to tinker with both issues.

I agree with most of what you say. However, I think regional sides are the way forward. Games between the 66 best cricketers in the country are bound to be of a higher standard, and a much better indication of how a player will cope with Test Match cricket, then the current county game.

How else do you explain people like Mushy, who had decent (I think?), but not great figures for Pakistan, and has now been the best bowler in the county championship for at least 3 years? Or Ramprakash/Key, players who have never really looked the part when playing for England, yet score runs for run in the domestic game. At the moment we put players into the England side and hope that they will do OK. The Australians can put them in and KNOW they'll do well.

I accept that the Australians have a much bigger pool of talent to pick from; I just think that having a much more segregated league structure will help us to sort the wheat from the chaff.

 

[Brovion]

Of those options - none of them. I'd scrap the Pro40 tournament as that is neither fish nor fowl now in one-day cricket. Use the time instead for another Twenty20 competiion as that seems to be what people want.

I certainly don't want to go back to 3 day county games with contrived declarations.

 

[Scotty Mac]

six regional sides would be WANK

i got into cricket by going to sussex games - if there were six regional sides, the likelihood would be our 'local' side would be playing in southampton, which would mean that lots of kids from sussex will miss out on getting to see professional cricket

 

[JJ McClure]

The 40 over stuff should be stopped. 50 overs is the standard for international one day games so keep that and ditch the Pro40 that quite frankly seems to serve not point.
As for mergeing the counties...f***. Right. Off.

 

[sten_super]

six regional sides would be WANK

i got into cricket by going to sussex games - if there were six regional sides, the likelihood would be our 'local' side would be playing in southampton, which would mean that lots of kids from sussex will miss out on getting to see professional cricket

There would still presumably be some 'grade' cricket or equivalent in Sussex (based on the locations of the old counties), which I think in Australia is professionals, so that wouldn't necessarily the case. I realise that regions wouldn't be a popular idea, but it's what I think would probably be best for the national side (and ultimately the sport nationally; you only have to look at the increased take up in sports when we are successful at them).

 

[Simster]

The only one of those I'm in favour of is scrapping the 50 over competition. And I'd expand the 20/20 competition too.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Problem with regional sides is that is legislates against teams in the south. Not very practical or needed.

 

[Marc]

My views:

"A three conference County Championship of north, south and midlands."
stick with two divisions with any potential minor counties getting put in the conference

"3 Day County Championship Games instead of 4"
Cant see how this would work correctly, 4-days allows more time of a result due to bad weather.

"A revamped 40-over competition featuring two 20-over innings per side."
Get rid of Pro-40 altogether and no alternative....simple!

"A return to a single division of the County Championship."
Nope, promotion/relegation is more exciting.

"Merging the 18 counties into six regional sides."
Leave that to the Aussies, way too much history for this idea.

"Axing the 50-over knockout competition."
No...definitaley no, International sides will have th 50over game for years to come alongside the 20/20 (which will take over). Focus more on 50over in domestic cricket

"Leave it as it is"
As above, bin Pro-40 altogether, focus on 50over 20/20 and leave the county championship as it is

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Should definitely create a third division of the County Championship for teams like Sussex and Glamorgan to play in...

 

[Mendoza]

There seems to be more emphasis on the 20/20 game as it gets done and dusted within 3 hours, and its more entertaining to the crowd.

I dont know how long it would last though. The first couple of seasons of it in England were great. Why.... because

It was new/different
It was cheap
You could bring your own alcohol
Players/teams didnt have any real tactics

Now most of those have been erradicated and the prices are getting a bit stupid and will put a few people off. Put the money men need those prices to rise further, especially if they want to compete with the wages being touted around the IPL

 

[steward 433]

20/20 is a great way to get kids interested in playing the game, My lil boy is 4 and hasn't got the attention span to sit and watch 40 or 50 overs in a hit.
20 overs he can just about cope with and the younger we get kids interested in and playing the game the better standard we will produce.

20/20 should be the blueprint for our future young stars