Root and branch schedule changes still some way off
ENGLAND and Test captain Joe Root were yesterday warned there was ‘no silver bullet’ to remedy complaints about first-class cricket that have arisen following a dismal Ashes series defeat.
The County Championship has been put into sharp focus after the 4-0 thrashing by Australia, with Root and England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison calling for a ‘reset’ of the red-ball game.
Shifting the four-day competition to the margins of the season has been cited as one of the factors behind the failings of the Test team. Part of the 2022 county calendar was unveiled yesterday, with five rounds of Championship matches in June and July, as opposed to three last year.
But the season is set to start on April 7, with four successive weeks of red-ball matches, and finish on September 26 – with no Championship fixtures at all in August due to The Hundred.
Neil Snowball, the ECB’s managing director of county cricket, admitted the schedule is far from ideal in striking a balance between the formats but any significant changes will have to wait until at least next year.
‘The fixture schedule is a step forward from last year but don’t expect this schedule to be everything we need it to be to address some of the challenges of red-ball cricket,’ Snowball said.
‘We know there’s no silver bullet, all of the different things we need to consider have been talked about a lot – whether it’s what type of ball we use, what type of pitches we play on, the format of competitions, etc.
‘It needs a comprehensive review. There’s a feeling we have not got the balance right (between formats) at the moment and that’s what we need to look at.
‘We need to get the counties, the ECB, the PCA (Professional Cricketers’ Association) and other stakeholders together and then work out a plan through this year hopefully so that we can start making some changes from 2023.’
Yorkshire’s placement in the top of the two divisions suggests relegation will not be part of their punishment for their handling of Azeem Rafiq’s racism allegations. An ECB investigation is ongoing.
A First-Class County Select XI will play New Zealand and South Africa, the main Test opposition this summer, providing time in the middle after England had scant preparation before facing India in last year’s main home series.