Proposed new English franchise tournament

Well, if they are 'incredibly' serious about how they look after the game, then I don't find them very competent. Maybe it is true that 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions', but behind my comment was remembering some of these actions:

 - Removing live cricket from free to view TV. As a teacher at the time, and for some years afterwards, I can't think of any decision that did more to weaken the hold cricket had on the interest of young people, and help turn it into a minority and rather elite pastime;

- Continual messing around with the format and timing of the cricket season so even keen supporters find it nigh impossible to remember when matches start, or which competition comes next;

- Sacrificing a popular competition - the 40 over one largely played on Sunday afternoons - for various 50 over ones 'to help win the world cup'. We're still waiting ;

- In some seasons having practically no matches played at the weekends, or even on Bank Holiday Mondays - when most working people can get to them;

- Setting up a T20 Competition that becomes very popular, then meddling with it - a short period of games, or two short periods, then a regular, mostly on Friday evenings, slot...but before that can even be assessed announce that it will be totally changed;

- Starting 'bidding' for Test matches which has caused several counties significant financial embarrassment (Durham is only the most recent) - was that designed to weaken counties who have got into debt to the ECB to make them more malleable?

- Proposing a 'city' competition which will run outside the county structure at a time when it will not have any England players available, but weaken the counties by taking what, 1/3 (?) of their staff thus leaving them to play with non-contracted players, academy players or amateur club players for the central part of 'high' summer? Or maybe they'll close down and all go away in July/August?

- Oh, and mentioning academies, we now read of the idea that there should be a reduction in the number of academies...I wonder, down to 8, perhaps - wonder if those will be the same places that have the 'city' teams?

I could go on...

Given the way the ECB has acted over the last 15 years or so, I think we can fairly ask whether they are 'fit for purpose'. Personally I'd abolish them and start again.


Now, I realise not everyone will agree with me, but as with other contentious decisions being taken in this country recently, I think we all have to realise that a free, democratic country means the freedom to comment and criticise. Or it means nothing. 

If my views aren't welcome, then tell me and I'll go away. But I won't stop arguing against what I consider to be a series of wrong decisions. 

Some of the things I listed have been carried out under the 'current' regime, and other decisions by their predecessors haven't been reversed or improved.


You refer to my opinion as 'outrageous allegations' and, Trump like, ignore the evidence I provided because it doesn't fit in with what you believe. Well, sorry to shake your tree but I don't accept the argument is lost or that what has been decided is 'set in stone'.

And I'll continue to say so, thanks, even though you try to tar my view with the idea that it is like being a flat earther or climate change denier. The Donald would be proud of that piece of "argument". 

As far as I can tell, the closest to anything being set in stone, is that there will be some new 2020 tournament in 2020 with 8 teams and there will be more stars per game than the current 2020. 
However, as a plan, success has to be measured on more than what the broadcasters/advertisers are paying.... and that is where I have yet to see anything tangible.  

And the apportionment of  salaries which will be paid to the counties for the players who are involved. Over the first five years of the financial guarantee, the total figure payable tio the counties with those two elements added in will be what -  close to £150 million?

That's why anybody who opposes the new tournament without explaining down the back of which sofa they expect to find a similar sum  is behaving quite irresponsibly.

The decision has been taken. There will be an eight team T20 super-league which will have nothing to do with the Victorian county structure, despite the noisy opposition of  a few  conspiracy theorists who who seem to believe that the ECB is an evil alien body deiberately trying to destroy county cricket. Such fundamentalists are a  tiny cell , as was exposed when they started their 'save our counties' petition last summer. Despite operating their own 'project fear' to gain signatures, more than six months later they've still only managed a few hundred names.

ffs - they're not my figures.  The ECB had guarantered every county £1.3 million per annum each year for the first five years. That's a fact and is ''cast in stone''.

When you said you were going to  try to "ameliorate" the plan, I took that to mean you thought the counties should demand more money. I didn't realise you weren't even aware of the financial guarantees the counties have been given.

All you  do is peddle bizarre conspiracy theories in your own version of project fear. The ECB is not fit for purpose,  Kent and Sussex will be relegated to something akin to minor county status ... what on earth are you on? 

As for "don't expect me not to be saying 'I told you so', though no doubt you'll be spouting more ECB warranted platitudes to prove that 'the game has never been stronger'"  - you've already likened me to Donald Trump and now you're putting words in my mouth  in some fictitious circumstance that is never going to happen outside of your own warped imagination?

Happy to debate this with anybody with a sensible case and reasoned arguments - and, above all,  a responsible alternative financial plan to save "the game we all  love". But as you fail on all three counts, it looks like we won't be debating it with you...

 ps: your version of how the BBC lost Test cricket is also utter fiction. They had already lost Forumla One to ITV and when it came to cricket couldn't even match the money C4 put up....and it was Tony  Blair's Labour Governnment  who removed Test cricket from the list of 'crown jewels' sporting events that had to have terrestial TV coverage.

Presumably the guarantee will come out of reserves, if they get less than expected from the rights.
I don't think that the future  of Kent/Sussex can be classed as a conspiracy theory ... just a prediction of the potential consequences of the league...can understand the case,  personally would be happier once the hosting plans are clearer. If Kent or Sussex get no superleague games then I would worry.
As the concept of saving the game we all love keeps coming up ... if we look to 2025, what would be considered a success? [Hope it is lots of high quality 50 over matches in the sun ...]