bypass the big roadblock

This is the most frustrating I’ve been as a supporter of cricket in England. I sense that many of you feel the same way. So this weekend I took some time out to quickly write down my thoughts on my current discomfort. Sorry if this reads like a stream of consciousness…

Why am I so frustrated at the junkyard? Not that England’s Test squad is bad – we’ve known that for a while – and it’s very disturbing to me that the debate around the future is heading in the completely wrong direction. This has always been my greatest fear.

In recent days, we’ve had serious observers – prominent journalists/broadcasters as well as former players – come up with a series of misjudged ideas that will irrevocably change the domestic (and in some cases international) game , without even guaranteeing any tangible benefits.

First we have Kevin Peterson, who is still pushing the same pro-franchise narrative he championed during the game, suggesting England needs a first-class game. This week, Jonathan Agnew also proposed to cancel the tournament. I also noticed Tim Wigmore, whom I have always liked as a thinker and writer, recommends reducing the ashes to three test series. I just can’t understand the latter idea. Why throw the baby out with the bathwater? England just needs to get better.

Those who have been watching Sky, listening to various podcasts and following Twitter closely will also hear many alternative suggestions. Some people quite rightly believe that The Hundred should go (no matter how unrealistic that is). Others argue that The Hundred absolutely must be part of the solution (no matter how absurd that may be). Meanwhile, some people have given up on red ball cricket entirely because, you know, people obviously can’t concentrate for more than five minutes these days. Then the same people will be lyrical about the latest suit they binge-eat without appreciating the irony.

What strikes me when I see these thoughts is that the mind is clearly gone. There is panic in the air, there is still a lot of feud between hundreds of advocates and opponents (who are making up stories to solve old problems), and no consensus on what the authorities should do…except, of course, to resign in shame.

So what is the answer?

Let me answer a slightly different question first and tell you what I would do if it were 2018, before the ECB’s franchise vanity project was parked in the middle of the domestic calendar. I’ll just play more first-class cricket in June, July and especially August (where the turntables traditionally go into their own territory) and then increase the quota of overseas players allowed. This immediately raises the bar. No one will object to this plan.

Sadly, however, we are no longer in 2018. And I can’t realistically see The Hundred going anywhere because it’s an integral part of the ECB’s bumper TV deal. So we’re saddled with it – the herpes equivalent of cricket. The result is that anything other than 16.4 is banned for the entire month of August. Any other cricket played with it will lose its best players and therefore depreciate.

This obviously creates a huge problem. When the Championship roster was announced last week, many were hoping for more red-ball cricket matches in June, July and August. Instead, we get just slightly more. Many counties will play 10 championship games in April, May and September, when the actual summer season is only four. That means they have done very little to help England’s Test team. Ashes’ recovery was essentially delayed by 12 months.

But what do people expect? We’ll never get more than a few games in the summer as the ECB has sold out top-notch cricket.Domestic agenda is difficult to balance forward hundred dollars. Now that August has been effectively excluded, this is absolutely impossible.

So now I’ll answer my original question. What would I, James Morgan, your average cricket supporter, actually do in far from ideal circumstances…except for setting off a big bomb in a franchise game, of course?

Basically, there is no ideal solution here. Every potential measure comes with collateral damage. However, given that the Hundreds have put up huge barriers to progress, I don’t think there is a choice but to favor the least-worst option: introducing 3 divisions (instead of two) in the county championship game.

Don’t get me wrong now. I don’t like the idea at all. I’m really worried about third-tier counties. And I also think it will lead to more promising players leaving their home clubs in search of a higher standard of cricket. But bringing in three divisions is the only way I think we can raise the bar and ease some of the current fixture congestion at the same time.

Rather than trying to play 14 (or more) first-class games in each county, reduce the three divisions of six teams to 10. This seems like an acceptable (and just) compromise. In an ideal world, I’d like to see more first-class cricket than this, but the good thing about at least 10 games is that every innings counts. As a result, aspiring young hitters must learn how to cash in on limited opportunities.

Of course, it’s worth pointing out that the Sheffield Shield also traditionally requires 10 games per side. However, the advantage of county cricket over Sheffield Shields is that the top tier will be supported by a fully professional second (and third) tier; so there are still plenty of opportunities for talented players to make cricket their profession.

While many talented cricketers get lost in the Australian game – they choose other careers because there are few teams and limited opportunities – county cricket can create a logical pyramid and lead to international competition way. So at least there will be some logic to this move.

While the system isn’t perfect – sadly I don’t yet have an algorithm to calculate how far the season is going at this point – at least domestic Over-50 games and The Blast. The introduction of The Hundred means that some other form of the game will always be compromised somewhere along the line. Introducing 3 divisions at least reduces this damage.

While my preferred option would obviously be to light The Hundred on fire and pour the entire tanker’s gasoline on it, I’ve come to accept that’s not going to happen. So since we can’t pass or skip 16.4, we just need to bypass it. Of course, this is a very sad state of affairs, but when your game is run by people who are not necessarily centered on the best interests of top-notch cricket, your options are pretty limited.

It’s all so frustrating. After all, everyone can see that this problem will eventually arise. What the ECB should know. But I guess it’s hard to notice the obvious bleed when your eyes are on the huge bonus prize you’ll be collecting because you’ve created something that no one really asked for.

James Morgan

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