England's professionals clamour for T20 change

England's professional cricketers have overwhelmingly called for a reshaped Twenty20 competition capable of rivalling tournaments such as the Big Bash, played in one block to raise standards, help attract the best overseas players and involving England players on a more regular basis.

That yearning for a T20 tournament that will gain more impact on the world stage comes only a few days before Finals Day in the NatWest Blast and, even more importantly, shortly before the final recommendations to county chairmen on September 2 from an ECB structure review group

The survey, conducted by the Professional Cricketers' Association, represents an emphatic call for change and as far as T20 is concerned will broadly find favour with the ECB's chief executive Tom Harrison, who has championed a re-examination of the domestic game in the face of strong resistance from within the 18 counties.

So far 240 of roughly 400 county professionals polled have responded to the survey which has become an important annual snapshot of the views of county professionals and which, by being made public, will be viewed by many as a refreshing counterpoint to the secrecy in which ECB deliberations are being held.

More than 80% of respondents agreed or strongly agrees that a Big Bash-style tournament would be good for English cricket - and the clamour for England players to be involved more regularly is even stronger. To do that would require a leap of faith and a slimming down of the international schedule.

There is also a comfortable majority of professionals who believe a better tournament worthy of Big Bash comparison can simply be achieved within the current county structure by introducing a two-division structure with promotion and relegation.

Although more than 80% of professional cricketers believe the Blast is a high-class competition, there is a widespread belief that playing it across much of the season, instead of in a concentrated block such as the Big Bash or IPL, has had a negative effect on standards. As many as 86% disagreed or strongly disagreed that stretching T20 over much of the season had improved standards.

One player responded: "Playing in a block would allow for better overseas players available, more England players playing and more time to practice skill."

The PCA's chief executive Angus Porter, a co-signatory of the report with his assistant Jason Ratcliffe, concluded: "Whilst recognising the commercial and scheduling challenges of doing so, from a cricketing perspective, the T20 competition should revert to being played in a block - and it will significantly improve the quality of the product if England and other international players feature more regularly than currently."

Many county chief executives insist that regular T20 on Friday nights has been commercially successful - with crowds up around 20% on last season and heading towards 1m - although part of that rise must be down to an improved marketing campaign by the ECB and the publicity generated this season by the brief appearances of the likes of Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum.

Equally, the arguments in favour of regular T20 on Friday nights would be undermined if the effect of a concentrated schedule was more lucrative TV deals, better overseas players and, from that, a natural rise in interest that could be expected to follow.

It is also worth debating, at the very least, whether it is healthy to ignore such a groundswell of opinion from the best players in the country about the sort of cricket they most cherish.

The constant switching of formats and amount of travel involved to achieve that - as high as at any time in the past 20 years - has brought deep resentment.

One county professional complained that a non-stop playing schedule left him like a "zombie" throughout June, and another asserted that the amount of cricket and travel was so onerous that the ECB - and, by association, the PCA - was failing in a duty of care towards its employees.

The conviction that the amount of cricket played is undermining standards is held by 87% of respondents. It is not in the nature of a modern sports professional to give credence to talk of compromised standards, so the admission is striking.

"We must address the playing and travel challenges inherent in the current domestic schedule," the PCA said. "A reduction in the volume of cricket is probably necessary to achieve this."

England's - and Wales' - professionals, however, cannot be cast as desperate revolutionaries. As many as 98% regard Test cricket as the pinnacle, their faith in the County Championship remains unstinting - 83% still regard it as the most important competition - and want it to remain meaningful, although they are not quite as wedded to 16 four-day games as they once were.

Last week Harrison pressed vigorously for 14 Championship matches - a reduction that could be achieved in a structure of two divisions of eight and 10 which would maintain the home-and-away symmetry that the players also prize in the top division at least.

There is also a belief among 83% that the gap between Division One and Two is widening. But if that is a result of rising standards in Division One, then it clearly serves England's needs and it is incumbent upon all Division Two sides to improve and justify their existence rather than introduce a conference system that could result in mismatches and lazy cricket.

Amid pressure from the ECB executive to reduce the 16-match Championship, the PCA warns: "We must respect the County Championship as our premier domestic competition, and only change the format of the competition if the prize is a significantly better overall schedule."

The competition least valued is the Royal London One-Day Cup. Staggeringly, as many as 30% of professionals playing it don't even think it is important - hardly conducive to high standards - and opinion is split on whether it should be conducted over 40 or 50 overs. Its domination of the schedule throughout the summer holidays has won little favour. It looks ripe for slimming down - and the structure review group must surely see it as an easy victim.

The PCA sums up: "We must recognize that while a key goal of domestic cricket is to create cricketers of international standard, it must also be respected as having great value in its own right. Any changes we make must consider the long-term impacts on the health of our domestic game.

"At a time when participation levels in grass roots cricket are falling, we need to be mindful of ensuring that any changes made in the structure of county cricket do not increase the disconnect between the professional and recreational game."