Cricketers Call For ECB To Improve County Cricket Scheduling

Cricketers have called on "the game's authorities to improve the scheduling of county cricket" as the England & Wales Cricket Board puts the "final touches to a blueprint for the future that will be delivered next week," according to Nick Hoult of the London TELEGRAPH. A county structure review group set up by the ECB and led by Warwickshire CEO Colin Povey is "due to deliver its final recommendations early next week" before the annual meeting of the county chairmen on Sept. 2. Last week ECB CEO Tom Harrison suggested the county championship "could be cut to 14 matches in order to improve a summer schedule" that is "heavily" criticized in the annual Professional Cricketers' Association survey of its members. Cutting the championship "would free more Twenty20 cricket to be played in a block during the school summer holidays" and a rejigging of the 50 over tournament is "also expected to be proposed next week with a reduced group phase" (TELEGRAPH, 8/26).