Players missed out on red-ball cricket

ROB KEY has vowed to schedule more red-ball matches at the height of the summer — admitting the Test team were undercooked coming into their series with South Africa.

The County Championship paused at the end of July and will not return until September 5, with the Hundred taking precedence in the prime month of August. It meant England’s players went into the first Test at with little first-class cricket under their belts, and it showed as they slumped to a defeat by an innings and 12 runs.

The ECB are currently conducting a high-performance review to recommend changes to the schedule and structure of the domestic game.

And while Key, who sits on the review panel, admits the money-spinning Hundred will not be moved in the calendar, he says red-ball games must be played at the same time.

‘We can’t have people not playing first-class cricket in that August window,’ said Key. ‘In this series, it would have been better if we’d have been able to give our Test cricketers some red-ball cricket going into that.

‘The Hundred is an integral part of the broadcast deal and it’s going to do so much for our game. The Hundred is going to be something that secures the future of our game.

‘But I don’t want players not to be playing any first-class cricket in that period. It just doesn’t work if they’re just playing eight days of cricket in that time.’

Sir Andrew Strauss is chairing the review and outlined some of his initial proposals on Friday, including a smaller County Championship top division in 2024.

‘Everything we do is going to be given to counties to say, “Do you want this?”,’ said Key. ‘It is not about ramming it through.’

Key also defended the role of Sir Dave Brailsford in the review after the ECB were criticised for seeking the advice of the Ineos Grenadiers cycling boss.

He added: ‘I thought Dave Brailsford, with his marginal gains, he and I might not be on the same page, but I thought he was fantastic.’