An apt name for the new league would be the 'Who Gives A Flying Fig Circus'

Guest columnist FRED BOYCOTT has his say on the franchise T20 competition due to come into force in England in 2020... and he's certainly not holding back

Fred Boycott is coming off his long run, and there's not a soul in the cricketing world who's safe.

The pioneer of the dig-in and all-round 21st-century skeptic has taken a step outside of Twitter to pen a guest column for The Cricketer.

And, as you would expect, he's not holding anything back. You can follow Fred on Twitter by clicking here.

As we get closer to the dreaded day that the new franchise T20 league is imposed upon us I offer you my thoughts on the new concept.

It is a massive gamble by the ECB but as we know when they see the pound signs they'll try anything. If anyone doubts this just Google: 'Allen Stanford ECB'. You will see images of the great and the good at their glorious worst. The pictures of that case stashed with money still churns my stomach.

News reaches me that the team names for the new tournament will be non-geographic, thus alienating 100 per cent of existing fans in one fell swoop.

As for the players, they will be little more than a collection of show ponies and fancy Dans from all over the world that have given up their day jobs of playing proper cricket to join the T20 circuit.

'Have bat will slog'.

^{Allen Stanford and his box of money are not fondly remembered by Fred Boycott}

They will have no allegiance to the locality of the venue. Nor will the spectators have any with the assembled collection of mercenaries.

The grounds will be populated by 'neutrals' watching a random collection of imports. An apt name for the new league would be the 'Who Gives A Flying Fig Circus'.

I imagine the ECB are trying to attract the kind of customer or supporter that follows the so-called sports of WWF Wrestling and American Gridiron Football.

I'm sure these nonsense 'sports' have some appeal to today's young uns, but for the life of me I can't see what. I'd rather walk around Burnley with a nail in my shoe than subject myself to that drivel.

"I'll be sticking to the tried and tested format of the County Championship, where I can sit alone in peace and not have to queue up for a beer. It's called First-Class cricket for a reason"

Cricket was originally developed on the principle of bowling the other team out for fewer runs than your team scored, so wicket preservation became all-important. Proper defensive techniques developed. Attacking bowling and fielding was a key requirement of the game. Twenty20 allows for none of this.

I can't understand why anyone would want to watch the ball being continuously smashed over the rope for three hours, when you could be watching a well-crafted innings of 40 or perhaps even more develop over six hours.

When the primary reason a game exists is to make money then it ceases to be as a sport. It is made up, not real, manufactured, false, plastic 'entertainment'.

History is littered with attempts to revamp tried-and-tested formats.

It's like when the Beatles made an effort to liven up their act and morphed into Sgt Pepper.

^{The Beatles with their Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album}

It had a few months' success and sold a few records but there has been no sight nor sound of Sgt Pepper since. I see the new T20 league going down this long and winding road into oblivion within its first three seasons.

The novelty value will soon wear off.

To finish, Some thoughts from four legends of cricket that know a thing or two about the game as recalled in 'Fred Trueman - The Authorised Biography' by Chris Waters.

Fred Trueman, Ray Illingworth, Geoff Boycott and Brian Close in discussion:

FT.  "What do you think of this Twenty20 garbage?"

GB. "Can't say I'm a huge fan."

RI.  "Nor me." 

BC. "Twenty20, I think it's bo**ocks."

I'll be sticking to the tried and tested format of the County Championship, where I can sit alone in peace and not have to queue up for a beer.

It's called First-Class cricket for a reason.

Fred