23-11-2016, 20:32
As you dedicated cricket buffs will probably know, the ECB are currently in the process of planning a new T20 competition for this country to be run along the lines of the Indian Premier League and the Australian Big Bash, which is slated to commence in summer 2018. It's an intriguing idea with its fair share of pros and cons, so probably deserves a discussion thread.
By way of introduction, I'll explain my own interest in this. First and foremost I've always been a footy fan; insofar as I have a cricket allegiance at all, it's to Worcestershire (which is a combination of traditional Black Country man's aversion to supporting any Birmingham-based team, plus a few fond memories of listening to Pears matches on the radio during summer holidays spent in the Worcs countryside). I'm partial to a bit of Test cricket every now and then, and I'm no stranger to one-dayers, but in recent years T20 has increasingly become my summertime fix. This is at least partly due to my increasing disillusionment with football being a closed shop, and wanting to follow a sport which has some semblance of a level playing field and a fair chance for every team to win. Even Worcestershire (though it's not bloody likely).
As I understand it, the proposal for the new competition is along these lines:
1. It will be contested by eight brand-new cricket clubs dedicated solely to the T20 format, all based in cities and playing their home matches at Test grounds.
2. The competition will take place over the course of around four weeks in the summer; probably coinciding with school holidays (i.e. late July to late August). There will be a match played most nights of the week during this period, and it's the hope of the ECB that at least one game each week will be televised on a terrestrial channel.
3. The present Natwest T20 Blast featuring county sides will continue to be contested alongside the new competition for the foreseeable future.
Though the teams are yet to be decided, the fact that Test grounds will be the venues means that we can expect, in all likelihood, two London sides, and one each for Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Cardiff and Southampton (it's really a toss-up between them and Durham, but I imagine they'll be preferred). I haven't quite decided entirely how I feel about this. On the one hand, I do value tradition in sport, and cheering for Worcs in a T20 match still carries the weight of history behind it even though the format is so young, relatively speaking. Supporting a new Birmingham Cricket Club wouldn't be the same. However, I do think that T20 in general does have the potential to grow in popularity, especially if there was a terrestrial TV deal, and I think that the current county system is probably an impediment to that.
Of course, I also accept that those of you who are cricket traditionalists may view the whole format as a rowdy upstart anyway, and there's no denying that this could have a major negative impact on the county system and even on Test cricket. But as football continues to disappear up its own money-stuffed arse, I'm really tempted by the idea of any competition that can provide some real excitement and atmosphere for a few weeks of the year, and where silverware isn't monopolised by a few rich clubs.
So: your thoughts?
By way of introduction, I'll explain my own interest in this. First and foremost I've always been a footy fan; insofar as I have a cricket allegiance at all, it's to Worcestershire (which is a combination of traditional Black Country man's aversion to supporting any Birmingham-based team, plus a few fond memories of listening to Pears matches on the radio during summer holidays spent in the Worcs countryside). I'm partial to a bit of Test cricket every now and then, and I'm no stranger to one-dayers, but in recent years T20 has increasingly become my summertime fix. This is at least partly due to my increasing disillusionment with football being a closed shop, and wanting to follow a sport which has some semblance of a level playing field and a fair chance for every team to win. Even Worcestershire (though it's not bloody likely).
As I understand it, the proposal for the new competition is along these lines:
1. It will be contested by eight brand-new cricket clubs dedicated solely to the T20 format, all based in cities and playing their home matches at Test grounds.
2. The competition will take place over the course of around four weeks in the summer; probably coinciding with school holidays (i.e. late July to late August). There will be a match played most nights of the week during this period, and it's the hope of the ECB that at least one game each week will be televised on a terrestrial channel.
3. The present Natwest T20 Blast featuring county sides will continue to be contested alongside the new competition for the foreseeable future.
Though the teams are yet to be decided, the fact that Test grounds will be the venues means that we can expect, in all likelihood, two London sides, and one each for Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Cardiff and Southampton (it's really a toss-up between them and Durham, but I imagine they'll be preferred). I haven't quite decided entirely how I feel about this. On the one hand, I do value tradition in sport, and cheering for Worcs in a T20 match still carries the weight of history behind it even though the format is so young, relatively speaking. Supporting a new Birmingham Cricket Club wouldn't be the same. However, I do think that T20 in general does have the potential to grow in popularity, especially if there was a terrestrial TV deal, and I think that the current county system is probably an impediment to that.
Of course, I also accept that those of you who are cricket traditionalists may view the whole format as a rowdy upstart anyway, and there's no denying that this could have a major negative impact on the county system and even on Test cricket. But as football continues to disappear up its own money-stuffed arse, I'm really tempted by the idea of any competition that can provide some real excitement and atmosphere for a few weeks of the year, and where silverware isn't monopolised by a few rich clubs.
So: your thoughts?
"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to choose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I should make straight for West Bromwich." - J.B. Priestley