Middlesex CCC

[www.thetimes.co.uk]

Thought this might be worth a thread in its own right. I have mixed views: I am glad the ECB have been thwarted in their desire to have the 100 franchises coached by any mercenaries from around the global slogfest circuit BUT I have a lot of sympathy for the "small" counties who see this as another threatening development. The bit about counties insisting that "local" players should form the core of each franchise is interesting: not many of our squad have shown any real propensity for the shortest form of cricket.

As in all of this, Middlesex are in a unique position: we play at a big venue but do not own it. If the North London Wallies or the Maida Vale Mets, or whatever, are coached by Stuart Law, as suggested in the article, and if it has a fair number of Middlesex players in it, I still would not want to pay to watch it.

I do not have a clue how contracts are going to be organised around all this.

Paragraph 6 is interesting in that report.

As many as 10 of the 15 players per franchise could play at the same venue as their county (in other words, you could get 10 Warwickshire players in the franchise that plays at Edgbaston).

In which case is it is virtually Warwickshire- sorry- The Bears- as they don't use their county name in T20.

So how is that an 'elite best of the best?' It's just the county side playing in a competition some other counties can't enter. Necessary- because they are scared stiff no one will turn up to watch something that isn't effectively 'Warwickshire' in all but name.

But very bad news- because players who want to play this lucrative rubbish will see signing for the likes of Warwickshire as the way to achieve their ambition (if few players are to be recruited from the non participating county venues.

I thought the reason for wanting to use existing coaches was to try to keep a lid on the already way out of control costs, but it could take a sinister turn if coaches favour players from their own county.

All in all, it's more bad news.

I believe that the county 50-over competition will be played at the same time as The 100, but I fear for the standard of the 50-over competition if the best players and the best coaches will be at The 100. It probably won’t just be head coaches who will be unavailable for counties while The 100 takes place, as bowling and batting coaches and other members of backroom staff will surely be unavailable too. And the 50-over competition will no longer carry an incentive of a final at Lord’s, which will stage the event for the last time in 2019, with Trent Bridge taking over in 2020. It is as a result of the 50-over competition being likely to be played without the best players and coaches that I am glad the County Championship won’t be played at this time, despite the fact it would have been nice had supporters had some Championship matches to watch during the main part of the summer.

I am not sure who will take over these county coaching vacancies during the 50-over competition.

It would help the chances of The 100 being a success if there was a degree of overlap between the city-based side and the county that plays at each ground. For example, it would seem unthinkable for Joe Root or Jonny Bairstow to play for anyone other than the Headingley-based side, or for Tom or Sam Curran to play for anyone other than The Oval-based side. However, it would certainly cause problems if the Headingley-based side was to contain several Yorkshire players or The Oval-based side was to contain several Surrey players. We will have to see which cricketers play where when the draft takes place.

Officially, each team in The 100 is due to be administrated by ECB rather than by a county, although the make-up of squads could end up suggesting otherwise. Lower Mound is hopeful that county members will be offered free tickets to at least one match in The 100 at Lord’s, as neither he nor I have much interest in spending money on this tournament, but I can’t see us getting free tickets considering Middlesex are not due to run the team who will play at Lord’s.

In The Observer, PCA chairman and Worcestershire batsman Daryl Mitchell has given his views about suggestions that teams in The 100 could have similar coaches to the county which plays at their ground, saying he fears that it could create eight ‘super counties’.

Considering ECB’s creation of The 100 is a great threat to county cricket, it makes for a strange turn of events that calls for this cross-over don’t come from ECB - who would prefer teams in The 100 to be completely independent from counties - but from the counties.

In the Cricket Paper Daryll Mitchell's article stated the same JW. He has a point.

In MX case, with the departure of JK Fuller, we are even thinner on the ground re proven white ball players.

The MCC Mets or whatever, may go for their favourites elsewhere, though it seems that though England players can be recruited by auction, they can only appear as poster boys.

The current format as I understand it: is ten ends (not overs) of a ten ball duration. The captain may opt to split this between two bowlers, five balls apiece.

No bowler can bowl more than twenty balls in an innings.

The unintended affect of this , may boost the T20 Blast which is played unders correct cricket laws, with understandable field and bowling restrictions which in white ball cricket have been with us a long time.

The gloom and doom brigade, always with us, think that the 50 over game which will be played at the same time at outgrounds and be devoid of some first team players is about to crash out.

A positive view could be, a boost for areas who have been deprived of first class cricket for decades will get a look in. Hampshire returning to the Isle of Wight is one example.

In a addition, squad players will get opportunities. In MX case, the seconds for a good few years have played better white ball cricket than their first eleven counterparts.

So for MX, may be a better bet anyway. Looking forward to MX in the 50 over final after 30 years.

PS. The Big Bash crowds are down. Australian sources say because the competition has been extended to 59 matches to meet the TV criteria. This takes it past the school holidays.

The Sydney local derby attracted a crowd of 8000.

I note that the 2nd Test versus Sri Lanka is being played at the Manaku Oval in Canberra ( a decent turnout) which looks better in a smaller ground.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2019 12:38 by Seaxe_man1.

so,the fools at ECB who are planning this complete garbage of a tournament are now looking at possibly calling the make-believe,fake sides by county name.
More utter nonsense from them,how will this happen with Lords/MCC wanting to have a franchise cc side in this rubbish?
It makes me laugh,with less than year until the grand opening,there are still no sponsors,no franchise names,nobody been mentioned to putting their cash into the black hole.
The further this amazing progress goes,the better the chances of this falling flat on its face.
Another mention,is of 8 super counties emerging and the other 10 just sitting back watching.
I sincerely hope that doesn't happen,as where would we sit?
Members of the 'other 10' must be dreading if that happens,as it would possibly be saying goodbye to them.But,do the fools at ECB slightly bothered about that?...NO.
I have the best solution,insist graves and harrison resign before this thing starts,scrap it,and pretend it was never mentioned.

It would make more sense to pair counties, as with 2 of the women's teams. So Middlesex would be paired with Essex, Surrey with Kent, and Hampshire with Sussex. Glamorgan would join with Glos and Somerset, and Warwickshire with Worcs and Northants.

Crazy idea!
Who would want to follow join clubs?
Sounds as mad as the 100 set up!

The 100 ball project shares with HS2 a lack of popularity with the punters Beefy.

Both projects have soaked up a lot of dosh and that provides the pressure to continue.

Harrison has said that 40 million of ECB dosh has been committed to the 2020 launch.

18 counties receiving 1.3 million each in 2020 accounts for 23.4 million of that.

I have concerns that MX will get theirs as it could be diverted to pay for the MCC Mets.

Volunteer heavies are required to escort the dosh from the ECB to the MX Bank to ensure it arrives.

Harrison has also backtracked on the 'new audience' saying he hopes county supporters will support the ten ends job.

Personally, I will continue to support the historic county of MX in the T20Blast stretching as it does from South Mimms/Potters Bar to Staines upon Thames.

Plenty of room for improvement after chalking up bottom place and 100 loss total last season.

The highlight being Stirlo's ton in Mexico. Unfortunately they responded in kind. Ole.

My understanding is that the £40m doesn't include the £1.3m to each county.

Quote:

Bagpuss
My understanding is that the £40m doesn't include the £1.3m to each county.

Even worse than I thought then Bagpuss. Harrison has been quoted as saying, he expects a loss of 15 million in year one, as large numbers of free tickets will be given out to create the new audience.

Presumably schools will be the main target.

According to Richard Gibson on today's Daily Mail,the franchise CC team names are going to be announced on the eve of the 2019 domestic season.
Brilliant,let's take even more attention away from the county game...idiots