It’s just not cricket! How the county game is being left for dead

After the most incredible summer of English cricket since 2005 (If not ever!) the international game is flourishing.

With the fresh new format “The Hundred” set to launch this summer and successful outreach programmes by the ECB off the back of the CWC. It looks like Cricket is due a resurgence.

Cricket in this country is as strong as it’s been in years. But scratch the surface and the cracks begin to show.

The game at county level has not been in a good place for a number of years. Newer formats of the game such as the aforementioned “Hundred” and 20/20 are capturing the interest of fans. But is this all at the expense of the county game?

International Success

Ben Stokes’ catch, The super-over, Jofra Archer, Steve Smith’s Ashes invincibility, Marnus Labushagne’s rise, Stokes’ SPOTY, Gayle’s farewell, Sharma’s 140 Vs. Pakistan, Stokes and Leach’s incredible comeback at Headingley…I could go on. What a summer of Cricket!

Off the back of this, 61% of Cricket clubs reported an increase in members. The ECB & Chance to Shine’s school programmes in association with the CWC also reached more than 800,000 school children in England & Wales.

Participation was not the only statistic that was up. More new cricket fans were created with 52,000 first-time ticket buyers.

The TV viewing figures for the ICC World Cup Final broke the record audience for a live cricket event in the UK. Approximately 15 Million Brits tuned in throughout the day’s coverage, 31% of which were watching their first cricket match.

“The Hundred” seems to have come around at the perfect time. The shorter format, loud kits & badges, star players, a cutting edge draft system, Legendary club coaches and city based clubs all appeal to the modern sports fan. This is exactly what cricket has been clamouring for.

The Hundred oozes a certain glamour we haven’t seen from a domestic cricket competition before. Combined with it being free-to-air on the BBC, everything suggests this will be a success.

The struggles of county cricket

It is by no means a revelation that County Cricket is on the decline.

In 2018, Ex-Yorkshire & England opener Geoffrey Boycott claimed “County cricket could die in 20 years”

There certainly doesn’t seem to be the same buzz around the county game as there are other formats. People are becoming increasingly aware of this too, as photos of empty stadiums circulated around social media for much of the county championship last season.

But there are reasons this format struggles more than the others. The nature of the game being played over 5 days often means that during weekdays there are small crowds.

You’ll often hear the popular taunt of “Just A man and his dog” being in attendance when hearing updates from the County Championships on TV/Radio. Which helps to paint the picture of the issues with attendance.

Specsavers’ sponsorship of the county championship is into its final year. The Hundred’s popularity just pushes the county championship down the pecking order in terms of advertising & sponsorship opportunities in cricket.

None of this is helped by the fact that England’s stars are playing at county level less often once they’ve secured a central contract with the ECB. This has led to a significant drop in the standard of county championship tests.

Since the turn of the century, and crucially the implementation of central contracts, national players' workloads have been managed much more effectively. England’s stars are playing at county level less often once they’ve secured a central contract with the ECB. This has led to a significant drop in the standard of county championship tests.

Today the County Championship is mostly seen as a tool used by central contract players solely to prove fitness/form.

Without the participation of players in the international set up, it’s likely that attendance problems in the county championships will persist.

Without a significant amount of revenue from gate receipts, it’s likely that many counties will struggle financially.

The County Conveyor Belt

You tend to only hear the county game mentioned when cricket pundits or fans are looking for a reason the England Test side is sub-par. Almost 100% of the time the blame is laid at the door of the county game.

This is because County cricket is an integral part of producing the Test players we idolise when they put on the whites for England. If the county championships are of a high standard, then chances are the national team will follow suit. However, the national team may be doing well completely irrespective of the county game.

In the Short-term the ECB does not need county cricket to produce an exceptional national side. They can (and in the past have) relied on a core group of talented players who will be ever-present in squads across a number of years. This will be good enough to win a lot of test matches but is unsustainable.

Historically a certain culture develops which is unwelcoming to newcomers. Players would be allowed to get comfortable with their place in the side and as these main-stays exit their prime, there is nobody there to replace them.

In order to make the most of the tremendous cricketing talent we have in this country, we must make the most of the opportunities that county cricket provides.

It might be said that the ECB were heading for a similar predicament around this time last year with infamous bowling duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad set to retire in the coming seasons. It seems like Jofra Archer has come to the rescue this time. But if it was not for Jofra Archer, who were the next England quicks coming through the counties? Another year the ECB might not be so lucky.

Cricket’s most dangerous bowling pairing both made their England debuts aged 20 after cutting their teeth on the county circuit. When the opportunity arose for them to make a name for themselves they were poised, prepared and they did not disappoint.

County clubs allow players to be recruited at a micro level much more effectively. A small catchment for each county means that less talent falls through the cracks.

The competitive aspect of the county championship incentivises County clubs to find the best talent and to coach them to the highest possible standard.

However, this tried and tested model has been deserted in more recent years. The top young talent is being fast tracked onto ECB central contracts and ultimately out of the county game. Less players are having to prove themselves consistently over a number of seasons in the county game.

Instead, they are judged on their potential and are bled directly into the national side, without having played the same amount of first class cricket as the players who have come before them.

This also then breeds an attitude among County veterans that England cricket is ring-fenced off and makes a call-up seem unattainable after they reach a certain age. Players can then become content with playing at county level, never kicking on to realise their potential. Ultimately the strength in depth of the national side suffers as a result.

How do we save the county championships?

With the sport as a whole growing is this criticism welcome? I believe it is. This issue runs deeper than just losing a format which keeps cricket enthusiasts busy at the beginning and end of the summer season. And in many counties, haemorrhages money having to be propped up financially by the modest success of the Vitality Blast.

It is the lifeblood of the purest and most important format of the game in this country. In short, it needs protecting in order to secure the long-term health of Cricket as a sport in this country.

But how? What could possibly be done to inject a bit more interest into the county game?

I have a few suggestions...

The competition format

The current system in place consists of 2 leagues with a points system which is confusing enough for somebody to lose interest when trying to engage with the tournament.

What I suggest is, the first class counties are split into North & South Divisions both containing 9 counties. You will play against every team in your division (8) and then two from the opposing division selected at random each year for a total of 10 games.

From these 10 games the top 4 from each division will then be seeded 1-8 with a familiar quarter final bracket system operating from this point forward. This is a simple system adapted from the major American Sports league.

The aim is to create Semi-finals and a Final to generate a buzz around the tournament with more high stakes games, preventing counties running away with the competition. An all-star game between the Northern & Southern division could also generate some interest in the league.

Not only is this likely to bring the punters in, it also creates a more desirable TV product for future sponsorships and rights deals.

Ticket pricing

This is an obvious one and it is being prioritised in some counties. But better concessions for the retired and good rates for School trips might be something worth exploring. Fill the stadiums more, create a buzz and the rest will follow.

Higher Quality players

Filtering the ECB contracted players back into the County Championships would no doubt boost the competition. But neither the ECB or the players are likely to want to get on board with this. Overseas players used to be of the calibre of Viv Richards, now they struggle to find up to scratch overseas players in many cases, as opposed to having to narrow choices of elite players down to one.

Yet again, the counties don't have the financial punching power they once did so can’t attract the cream of the crop in World Cricket. Even if the money was there, the International calendar is so packed that the players couldn’t fit the competition in.

The way to bring more talent into the game is to keep young, talented players in the county game for longer and try and attract young players from abroad. The ECB must resist poaching players for central contracts at an early age. It would benefit the standard of first class cricket and ultimately gives young cricketers experience allowing them to learn from county veterans. Becoming better products for the national side in the long-run.

Time of Year

The current season has a break during most of July and August. This is the time of year where most people take time off work, therefore would be the perfect time of year to showcase the county game. Especially if issues related to the Coronavirus persist meaning cricket tours are cancelled and peoples are travelling abroad less.

The county championships are the beating heart of cricket in this country. They lay the foundations for the success we see enjoyed in the other formats of the game. So it is essential we cannot let it die and protect the game of Test cricket by any means necessary.