Strauss under fire

Counties blast ECB over plan to axe Championship matches

Sir Andrew Strauss, the former England captain, faces a battle to force through his highperformance review with counties opposing his plans to reduce the Championship.

Strauss yesterday released the latest in English cricket’s long list of rescue plans, a process launched on the back of another disastrous Ashes campaign, and already he has upset traditionalists with an expected cut from 14 Championship games to 10.

But, with the introduction of a six- team top division, matches played during the bulk of the summer rather than just at the beginning and end and extra ‘festival’ games during August, Strauss believes he can preserve red-ball cricket and hold back the march of the white-ball franchises.

‘Ultimately i think we will be playing more intense red-ball cricket at a higher standard on better pitches and we will be giving people first- class matches throughout the summer rather than just in the margins,’ said Strauss at Lord’s.

it is the reduction in games, though, that might stop Strauss gaining the approval of 12 of the 18 counties he will need to force his restructure through for the 2024 domestic season.

Kent were first to oppose the proposals yesterday in a statement from chairman Simon Philip, who said: ‘We will consider the needs of our members, supporters, players and stakeholders, the financial impact and the possible irrevocable change to the nature of county cricket.

‘We will not allow our club to be rendered irrelevant.’

They were quickly followed by Strauss’s old county, Middlesex, whose chair Mike O’Farrell and chief executive Andrew Cornish said in a statement: ‘ We are strenuously opposed to any reduction in the volume of first-class cricket, in particular the Championship.

‘We firmly stand behind our belief it should remain at 14 matches.’ Fresh from sealing the Championship title yesterday, Surrey coach Gareth Batty was also critical.

‘ it would diminish the emotion a bit, because it’s built up over so long,’ he said. ‘We’ve got to be careful we don’t lose too many games. Ultimately, county cricket is here to serve an England team. But i hope we’re doing it for the greater good, and not to keep celebrity cricket alive.’

Surrey captain rory Burns was equally lukewarm, saying: ‘There wouldn’t be enough games to get the integrity of a result.

‘i agree it needs to be looked at, but 10 is too few.’

The plan, which needs to be approved by the end of next month, is for a top division of six counties plus two lesser conferences of six to play 10 games during May, June, July and September with a play- off to decide one promotion place.

Strauss has risked being accused of a fudge to appease the dissenters by adding more ‘friendly’ red-ball games for players not involved in the Hundred during August that could include roses ‘Tests’, a London Cup and more Lions matches.

‘it will be first- class and i think it can be turned into really compelling local cricket,’ argued Strauss.

Other proposals include an early-season 50-over knockout cup involving first- class and what are now called national counties, an equally controversial reduction in T20 Blast games, the trial use of Kookaburra balls in the Championship and the use of ball-tracking technology to assess the standard of pitches.

But the Hundred will clearly remain sacrosanct and will be allowed to dominate the prime month of August. ‘We know the Hundred has its window at the moment and that’s there for a number of reasons,’ said Strauss.

‘it is partly because of a commercial agreement with Sky but it is also because the Hundred is fulfilling a different function to our other competitions. it is high performance in its own right but it’s about growing the game.’