‘Your neck’s on the line’ over T20, Graves told
COLIN Graves, the chairman of the ECB, has been warned his “neck is on the line” over the introduction of a new Big Bash-style Twenty20 tournament in England.
There was a significant victory for Graves and the ECB on Wednesday when a majority of counties voted to agree in principle to the formation of an eight-team, city-based T20 competition.
But it emerged yesterday that the introduction of the new tournament could be delayed until 2020 after several counties moved to distance themselves from suggestions it was already a done deal.
The ECB, keen to roll out the new competition by 2018, were encouraged when they won Wednesday’s vote at Lord’s 16-3, with the only dissenters Surrey, Sussex and Kent.
That followed a meeting of county chairmen and chief executives, with the majority persuaded to agree to further discussions on the formation of a tournament that would be based on Australia’s hugely-successful Big Bash League.
A guarantee of £1.3million per year for each club did much to persuade the first-class counties – and the MCC – to consider a proposal that would also see the
existing NatWest T20 Blast survive alongside the new competition.
Now the ECB will provide further details of their plans, which are expected to include the tournament being played in a three-week block in the school holidays with part of it broadcast on free-to-air TV.
There will also be a formal vote to change the ECB’s constitution later in the year to allow a new tournament that does not include all 18 firstclass counties, which would be the most radical shake-up to domestic cricket in 120 years.
All 41 members of the ECB, which includes recreational boards and the counties, will be balloted with the motion needing a two-thirds majority.
That is not a done deal, with Middlesex yesterday denying they have agreed to a new competition.
Chairman Mike O’Farrell said: “We made it very clear to the ECB that we could not consider voting for such a dramatic change without first consulting our members.
“Currently, we do not believe there is enough detail on the proposal for us to give a considered opinion.”
Essex chairman John Faragher was even stronger, warning Graves: “He’s got his neck on the line over this.
“I have reservations. This is not cast in stone.We don’t want to be dinosaurs so we have to move the game forward. But we’ve got to get it right.”