Don’t take away Surrey’s identity in T20 revolution

URREY have had a much better week on the pitch and it has been great to get some wins under our belt.

We go into tonight’s T20 clash with Kent with a chance of reaching the quarter-finals and we are also well placed in the 50-over competition after a great victory over Gloucestershire. The team have put in a lot of hard work during the last 10 days and are doing a great job.

We have also played in front of some massive crowds — nearly 100,000 people in total, including a sell-out at Lord’s and two full houses at The Kia Oval.

There is a lot of chatter about T20 at the moment and everyone seems to have a view. Mine is that the best way for T20 cricket in England to move forward is to create a Premier League and to get rid of the salary cap.

I have read with interest the reports about what the shortest form of the game will look like in this country, perhaps as early as 2018. My belief is that a cit y-based model, with new teams and new identities, is too much of a risk for our game. So Surrey should be able to remain Surrey and Lancashire could still be Lancashire, if that is what each club wants.

We h e a r constantly about the importance of attracting new supporters to the game and Surrey have done an outstanding job at that. We sell out The Oval regularly for T20 and the new fans now really get behind us, whereas they were more neutral a few years ago.

We see lots of families and kids can watch us for just £1 — but I believe still more can be done, especially to attract even more kids to the game.

We need to find a way to get youngsters here after school, where they can be brought straight to the ground. They could be given a coaching session, something to eat, and then their parents could join them after work to watch the game.

Next summer the T20 Blast will be played during the summer holidays, which is great news, and so there are lots more opportunities to explore. I realise that, logistically, achieving something like that isn’t easy — but it’s what all English cricket should be aiming for.

If a new competition is going to bring lots more money into the game, let’s make sure we get the competition right and that we spend the money in the right places.

Gareth Batty