Strauss plan to shrink red-ball game

DOMEsTIC cricket is set to remain untouched next season, but could see a reduction in red-ball matches by 2024, if proposals by sir Andrew strauss’s high performance review are voted through by the 18 first-class counties. strauss will also propose a ‘revamped’ 50-over competition, which could be played at the start of the season to avoid a clash with the Hundred.

But it is his suggestions for red-ball cricket — to be discussed by county officials and the Professional Cricketers’ Association over the next week, before a formal vote on september 20 — which could have the biggest ramifications for the domestic game. strauss, who is acting managing director at the ECB, yesterday laid out his ambitions, as well as reams of data-based research, in a blog.

‘The research looks at the areas we can target to reduce the gap between the domestic game and international cricket,’ he wrote. ‘Cricket is at a critical point with a fast-changing landscape, and we must be prepared to be open-minded if we are to future-proof our game.’

The main proposal is a reduction in the top tier of the four-day county championship, with strauss looking to pit ‘best versus best’ in his quest for ‘sustained success’ for the England men’s teams. Currently, ten Division One teams play 14 games each. strauss doesn’t specify the extent of any reduction, but does propose North v south first-class matches to take place abroad, most likely in the UAE, at the start of the summer. He also suggests a greater emphasis on red-ball cricket for England Lions, effectively the feeder side for the Test team. strauss wrote: ‘The analysis tells us that English players struggle more than players from other countries to transition from domestic to international cricket.’ One possibility is to play four-day cricket alongside the Hundred in August, with only 35 per cent of the best red-ball players said to be taking part in the ECB’s new 100-ball tournament.

Any proposal can only be passed by a two-thirds majority from the 18 county chairs at Lord’s next month.