Plans to introduce a two-tier system of promotion and relegation in a new-look 20-over tournament "are on the backburner, but perhaps for only a year" after the England & Wales Cricket Board agreed to a clearer shape to the '17 domestic season, according to Richard Hobson of the LONDON TIMES. The County Championship will be cut from 16 to 14 games, played in divisions of eight and 10 teams, "with just one side being promoted from the second division this season." The switch from two divisions of nine allows all 18 counties "to be in action in each round of matches, effectively opening more than a month in the schedule." The Royal London One-Day Cup will "revert to an early-season affair and the NatWest T20 Blast will continue with counties playing 14 games in regional divisions over two blocks." Finals Day will "continue to incorporate semi-finals before the climax" (LONDON TIMES, 3/8).
BIG BASH STYLE: In London, Nick Hoult reported the ECB has been "urged to investigate the introduction of a city based Twenty20 tournament." After a meeting of the 18 county chairs at Lord's on Monday the ECB announced "a new schedule for domestic cricket." It is a short term compromise and the ECB has been given the go-ahead to investigate "all options for the best future structure to support the growth of the game and sustainability of all counties," which is the board’s "jargon for a city based cricket tournament along the lines of the Big Bash." Any major change to the domestic structure "is unlikely" before '19 when the current broadcast deal with Sky lapses. The Professional Cricketers' Association, whose members "have repeatedly called for a Big Bash style tournament in England, have urged the ECB to fully investigate the possibility of such a competition being introduced." PCA CEO Angus Porter said, "It absolutely needs to be looked at" (TELEGRAPH, 3/7).
