King Pietersen
ICC Board Member
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2006
- Location
- Manchester
This is something that I've been thinking about for a while, but this season the need for changes have really become evident. Our County System has 18 Counties, split into 2 divisions. In the 1st Division the standard of cricket is generally very good, but most sides in the 2nd Division are to be brutally honest, awful. We've got sides that have too many Kolpaks, not enough English talent and some shockingly awful journeymen nothing players.
Compare this with the Australian system, which has just 6 teams, and in the last 20+ years has produced far better talent. The 6 team system also means that there is a decent time between fixtures, giving players time to prepare for a match properly, like they would an International fixture. In England, there are way too many games, way too many competitions and just not the time for preparation.
I think we could comfortably take out 6 teams, taking the number of teams down to 12, with 2 6 team divisions. With the 12 counties something like:
Lancashire
Yorkshire
Nottinghamshire
Durham
Somerset
Essex
Kent
Gloucestershire
Hampshire
Sussex
Middlesex
Surrey (because of their history)
You then split them into 2 divisions of six, in all forms of the game. The OD tournaments have far too many teams, with Ireland and Scotland even getting a go. It's just overloading the players with far too many games, far too many nothing games against rubbish teams on placid tracks that just haven't been given the correct preparation time.
The removal of 6 counties would mean that only the best players would get a game, meaning we'd be able to get rid of the hauls of county journeymen, and players that have travelled around the counties, with no aspirations to improve their game and play for England. I'd also limit the amount of Kolpak players to 2 per team, plus the 1 overseas player. That way there are going to be 8 English players in every team, without fail.
It may be harsh on Glamorgan, Leicestershire, Northants, Derbyshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire, but with the first 4 especially, they've not been good enough, playing far too many Kolpaks and generally not producing enough quality English talent. The better players wouldn't be out of a job either, as they'd be signed up by the counties that remain.
The 12 Counties that remain would also recieve far more funding also, as all the funding the ECB recieves is split between the 18 Counties. This means the facilities can improve, the standard of cricket will improve, and the players would not be stuck in the far too demanding County Cricket schedule. Nasser Hussain has been a big critic of the County System, especially with bowlers, calling County Cricket a "graveyard for quick bowlers". He has a fantastic point, the packed schedule leaves bowlers struggling with fitness and lacking the pre-match preparation required to put in their best performances.
Opinions?
Compare this with the Australian system, which has just 6 teams, and in the last 20+ years has produced far better talent. The 6 team system also means that there is a decent time between fixtures, giving players time to prepare for a match properly, like they would an International fixture. In England, there are way too many games, way too many competitions and just not the time for preparation.
I think we could comfortably take out 6 teams, taking the number of teams down to 12, with 2 6 team divisions. With the 12 counties something like:
Lancashire
Yorkshire
Nottinghamshire
Durham
Somerset
Essex
Kent
Gloucestershire
Hampshire
Sussex
Middlesex
Surrey (because of their history)
You then split them into 2 divisions of six, in all forms of the game. The OD tournaments have far too many teams, with Ireland and Scotland even getting a go. It's just overloading the players with far too many games, far too many nothing games against rubbish teams on placid tracks that just haven't been given the correct preparation time.
The removal of 6 counties would mean that only the best players would get a game, meaning we'd be able to get rid of the hauls of county journeymen, and players that have travelled around the counties, with no aspirations to improve their game and play for England. I'd also limit the amount of Kolpak players to 2 per team, plus the 1 overseas player. That way there are going to be 8 English players in every team, without fail.
It may be harsh on Glamorgan, Leicestershire, Northants, Derbyshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire, but with the first 4 especially, they've not been good enough, playing far too many Kolpaks and generally not producing enough quality English talent. The better players wouldn't be out of a job either, as they'd be signed up by the counties that remain.
The 12 Counties that remain would also recieve far more funding also, as all the funding the ECB recieves is split between the 18 Counties. This means the facilities can improve, the standard of cricket will improve, and the players would not be stuck in the far too demanding County Cricket schedule. Nasser Hussain has been a big critic of the County System, especially with bowlers, calling County Cricket a "graveyard for quick bowlers". He has a fantastic point, the packed schedule leaves bowlers struggling with fitness and lacking the pre-match preparation required to put in their best performances.
Opinions?
