The high-performance review’s recommendations for English men’s cricket include a six-team County Championship top division from 2024 and a new domestic schedule, with the aim of sustained success for England “in all formats”; 12 of 18 First-Class Counties must agree to structure changes
Last Updated: 22/09/22 11:28am
Sir Andrew Strauss’ high-performance review into English cricket has proposed a major domestic overhaul, featuring a six-team top division in the County Championship, a knock-out 50-over competition and a slimmed down schedule for all teams and players.
The review, which has been led by the former England captain and endorsed by the ECB, includes 17 recommendations in total for men’s cricket and Strauss says they can help England be the “world’s best team across all formats within five years, for a sustained period of time”.
The most eye-catching proposals regard a domestic reform.
The report recommends a six-team top County Championship division, with two conferences below that also of six teams vying for one promotion place. There is also a drop in matches, from 14 to 10, while the schedule is set for May to September to allow more cricket in the best conditions.
There are plans for the One-Day Cup to be played entirely in April, with six rounds and a significant knock-out element, while the T20 Blast would be from May to July with a focus on Thursday-to-Sunday “prime slots”.
The Hundred is set to remain in August.
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Speaking in August, Sir Andrew Strauss and Michael Atherton discuss England’s domestic cricket structure and the challenges it presents as Strauss heads up the ECB’s high performance review
The recommendations relating to the domestic structure are for 2024 at the earliest, and require approval from two-thirds of the First-Class Counties (FCC) – meaning 12 out of the 18 must vote in support.
“The current schedule is not working in the way it should,” Strauss told Sky Sports News. “No solution works for everybody. It’s one big Rubix cube and I think this is the best solution for English cricket moving forward.
“It answers some of the fundamental issues that have prevented England achieving [sustained success] in the past.”
Strauss, also previously ECB director of cricket, said a six-team top division would lead to a “higher standard”.
“It means the quality of player is going to be higher, the quality of cricket is going to be higher,” he explained. “It reduces the gap between domestic cricket and international cricket. And there’s slightly less cricket, so more time for rest and repair.”
Asked if he was confident the FCCs would approve, he said: “I hope so. These are a package of recommendations where if they work together, they complement each other brilliantly.”