English cricket continues it's transitional period from the last 12 months, this time at boardroom level where current chairman Giles Clarke is set to be President so he can represent the ECB at international level. His successor is widely tipped to be Yorkshire CCC Chairman Colin Graves, who is determined to revive English cricket at domestic and grassroots level.
Financially the ECB is on a sound footing - having a surplus of £25 Million in the bank, securing it's television rights until 2019 and hosting two major ICC tournaments in 2017 and 2019. Now there is a clear opportunity to resolve the challenges currently experiencing in county cricket and at grassroots level. Starting by reversing a decline of recreational participation in the sport, to ensure that the ECB does continue to receive government money. Followed by reviewing the domestic competitions, not least Twenty20 where England are lagging behind compared to Australia, India, South Africa and West Indies.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/con ... 21053.htmlOn the back of this, county Chief Executives are making their voices heard and want to get the wheels in motion.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/con ... 21157.htmlDue to the domestic schedule being of a congested nature, there is a likelihood one of the domestic competitions is likely to be compromised in order for Twenty20 to become a commercial success. Whether it's streamlining the number of County Championship fixtures, starting the season in early April again, playing 50 over cricket in spring like Australia. Not everybody will be happy, but as someone from the ECB once said "You can have what you want when you want, but you can't have it all at once."