Latest news with #domesticcricket
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
County Championship should be cut to 12 games
Cutting the County Championship from 14 games to 12 is the "only reasonable option" to protect welfare and improve standards, according to the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA). A review into the structure of the domestic game, aiming to implement changes next season, is due to conclude in the coming weeks. A reduction in the T20 Blast from the current system of two groups playing 14 games, to three groups playing 12 games, is set to be agreed. But the future of the Championship is less clear, with a number of options on the table. The status quo of 10 teams in the top flight and eight in the second tier could remain. The divisions could be flipped, to eight in Division One and 10 in Division Two. Either structure could include 14 or 12 games per season. Another option would be to have a 12-team top flight, split into conferences of six, with a second tier of six teams. The champions would be decided by a play-off between the winners of the two top-tier conferences, with one of the two promotion places from the second tier decided by a play-off between teams finishing second and third. This system would mean 12 games for every county and a 13th for those involved in play-off matches. The PCA prefers the conference model, but would also support the traditional divisional structure, as long as either is played over 12 games per county. It points to research carried out among players, where 83% said the current schedule caused concern for their physical wellbeing and 67% have worries for the mental health. "The schedule has always been a contentious issue," said PCA chair and Warwickshire seamer Olly Hannon-Dalby. "The feeling in recent seasons due to ever-increasing intensity of fixtures has led the game to a position where positive action has to be taken immediately and as an opportunity for the game to grow. "A change in format of the County Championship to 12 league games is the only reasonable option and would breathe new life into what I believe would become the best red-ball competition in the world." Durham offer support to county cricket shake-up Any change to the domestic structure would have to be approved by 12 of the 18 first-class counties. There are no plans to alter the One-Day Cup, which is played alongside The Hundred in August. Some counties have already publicly expressed their preferred options. Surrey and Somerset have supported an eight-team top flight and 10-team second tier, retaining 14 games per season. Middlesex have backed the status quo: 10 teams in Division One, eight in Division Two and 14 games. Durham and Lancashire have thrown their weight behind the 12-team top flight, while Worcestershire have supported both the conference and 10-team first division. In 2022, a high-performance review led by former England captain Andrew Strauss proposed cutting both the Championship and Blast to 10 games each. The review was widely rejected by the counties. Whereas that review was undertaken by the England and Wales Cricket Board, this latest work has been led by the counties in order to find an optimum set-up for clubs and players. It was felt now is an opportune time to act for a number of reasons: a new women's professional structure has been implanted and major matches have been allocated to venues for the foreseeable future. Most importantly, money due from sales of stakes of teams in The Hundred should take financial pressure off the counties. However, given the two-thirds majority required to enact change, along with the competing priorities and opinions, the status quo could remain simply because a consensus cannot be reached. Get cricket news sent straight to your phone
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Durham propose radical county cricket shake-up
Durham have proposed a radical shake-up of English domestic cricket, including a rugby-style Grand Final to decide the County county has addressed members, external with a change to the domestic structure and schedule in a bid to reduce player proposal, which Durham said has been developed along with other counties and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), suggests the current two-division championship should be would be replaced by two upper divisions of six teams each, and a lower division of six top team from each upper division would play in a five-day "Grand Final", which Durham claim would become "the first £1m domestic red-ball match". The Grand Final format is already in use in Australia, New Zealand, India and South lower conference sides would be competing for two promotion places, with one county from each upper conference being relegated to accommodate format would provide 12 games for each county, meeting the other five teams in their group home and away, and then two inter-group games, one home and one away. 'More compelling cricket' Durham chairman Phil Collins said in a statement on the club website, external: "We support the 18-county model but, believe the current 10/8 division structure lacks meaningful fixtures as the season progresses. "The current structure produces a plethora of games in both divisions that do not have any meaning; teams involved in mid table games in the last third of the season onwards do not have any jeopardy… the teams involved cannot get into a title or promotion race and are safe from relegation. "We don't believe this produces the intensity of cricket that our great game needs and is something that both players and fans constantly comment on to us."The proposal also suggests the T20 Blast should be reduced in size and comprise three groups of six teams each, with the entire competition played before The Hundred county said the plans have been drawn up following a Professional Cricketers' Association survey, which found that 83% of players think the current schedule "harms physical wellbeing", 72% saying it "hinders high performance", and over two-thirds claiming mental health is affected by the statement added that other counties have proposed alternative structures, including an 8/10 and a 10/8 division said the idea will be discussed at a members forum on 30 July. "These proposals aim to reduce workload, enhance performance, and offer more compelling cricket. We believe they represent the best way forward," he ECB has been approached for comment.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Anderson to play in The Hundred for Originals
James Anderson has returned to domestic cricket with Lancashire this season [Getty Images] England legend James Anderson has been selected by Manchester Originals for this year's Hundred, the first franchise tournament of his 25-year career. Anderson, who will be 43 when the tournament begins in August, has been picked up by the Originals in the wildcard draft. Advertisement The pace bowler, England's all-time leading wicket-taker, retired from international cricket last year. In his desire to keep playing, he entered the first draft for The Hundred and the Indian Premier League, but was not selected. The Hundred wildcard draft allows each team to add two additional players to their squad. Anderson signed a one-year deal to continue playing for Lancashire and has impressed in this year's T20 Blast, his first T20 cricket in 11 years. The link-up with the Originals continues his association with Lancashire's home ground of Old Trafford, where the side are based and where Anderson has an end named after him. Advertisement If Anderson features for the Originals during The Hundred he will become the competition's second-oldest player after spinner Imran Tahir, who was 43 when he appeared for Birmingham Phoenix in 2022. This year's Hundred begins on 5 August, with the final at Lord's on 31 August.
The Independent
09-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
India suspends its top cricket tournament, the IPL, for a week amid military tensions with Pakistan
India's biggest domestic cricket tournament was suspended for one week on Friday following the escalating military tensions with Pakistan. The Indian Premier League, which attracts top players from around the world, was halted with immediate effect, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said. The decision comes after a night of artillery exchanges between Indian and Pakistani soldiers across their frontier in Kashmir, amid a growing military standoff that erupted following an attack on tourists in the India-controlled portion of the disputed region. The IPL is the most popular cricket tournament in the world and runs between March and May. The 10-team competition still has 12 games to be played in the group stage before the knockout rounds. Pakistan earlier said it was moving its own domestic tournament to the United Arab Emirates because of the tensions. ___
