The Professional Cricketers' Association sent a "strong message" that the England & Wales Cricket Board "needs to protect the County Championship" when the 100-ball tournament is introduced in '20, according to Elizabeth Ammon of the LONDON TIMES. A recent survey conducted by the players’ union of professional cricketers in England and Wales, which received 240 replies, revealed that 89% of players believe that test cricket is the "most important format of the game" and that the championship, in its current guise of two divisions, "should be maintained," and that first-class cricket "must not be played during July and August when the 100-ball tournament is being played." Of the players who responded to the survey, 79% said that they "wanted to keep promotion and relegation," believing the system "maintains an intense standard of competition" (LONDON TIMES, 7/20).
'MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY': The BBC reported former England women's cricket captain Charlotte Edwards thinks the proposed new 100-ball competition "will benefit the growth of the women's game." The Super League, the current six-team domestic T20 tournament for women, is "due to be scrapped" in '20 when the new format is introduced. Edwards said, "Players and people involved in the women's game see the 100-ball as a massive opportunity. It is an incredible opportunity to align teams and get the same type of impact that the WBBL (Women's Big Bash League) and the Big Bash have had in Australia" (BBC, 7/22).
