Franklin: Willis Trophy was good test for Durham – I hope it stays
Durham coach James Franklin has given his backing for the Bob Willis Trophy to become a permanent fixture in the county cricket calendar following its successful inaugural season.
The coronavirus pandemic forced the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) into action to ensure that a semblance of the 2020 season was saved. The new competition replaced the County Championship, splitting the 18 counties into three groups of six, separated geographically.
Durham faced off against First Division sides Yorkshire andLancashireaswellNottinghamshire, Leicestershire and DerbyshireintheNorthGroup.
Although his side failed to record a victory from their five matches, and finished bottom of the standings, Franklin was full of praise for the set-up of the competition and believes that it would benefit all parties in the game if it became a permanent part of the cricketing schedule.
“I loved the Bob Willis Trophy format,” he said.
“I’m an advocate of it, but it’s not necessarily the view of Durham Cricket. I enjoyed the conference system and playing against teams that we weren’t expecting to play against.
“We played against some First Division sides and we cameupshort,butitwasagood test for us to have. Let’s see what happens because there are decisions being made about what next season is going to look like.
“I would like to see a system
where you would be able to refresh the conferences every year. It would give good stimulation to players, coaches and the spectators.
"If all the counties in the country have the opportunity to start at an even keel and have the opportunity to go on and win a County Championship by having an amazing year – the best team will no doubt win that, as we’ve seen (Essex won).
"Ican’tseewhyyouwouldn’t want to have that system.
“I think in years gone by it has become a bit stale, especially if you’ve been stuck in the Second Division playing the same teams over and over again. I think there’s an opportunity to change the conferences to give the players stimulation of playing new players and at new grounds.
"We’ve got some players in our team that have never playedatsomecountygrounds, which I find amazing. How could playing against different teams not be exciting for everyone involved?”
Durham’s struggles in the Bob Willis Trophy were partly due to the fact they were forced to play the campaign without overseas star Cameron Bancroft due to the pandemic. The Australian made a significant impact in the 2019 season as captain, and with his batting performances before being called up for the Ashes in the second half of the term.
Franklin has admitted that he would like to see Bancroft back at Emirates Riverside in 2021, with the opener having the option to make a return to the county for next season.
He added: “There’s water to go under the bridge in terms of
Bancroft’s return. As I understand it, he does have first refusal on next year. There’s no doubt when he was here he had a massive impact on the club – not only from a cricket point of view, but also a leadership standpoint when he was captain.
"He brought a refreshing energy with him. Cameron will be starting his season soon in Australia so we’ll have to see.”