County red-ball competition will be named after Bob Willis, ECB confirm

A regional competition is expected to take the form of three, six-team groups, with each county playing five matches ahead of a final at Lord's in late September

Visit the new-look County Hub

Counties will compete for the Bob Willis Trophy in red-ball cricket this summer, the ECB have confirmed.

A regional competition is expected to take the form of three, six-team groups, with each county playing five matches ahead of a final at Lord's in late September.

The tournament will be named in honour of the late England seamer, an idea first mooted by Sir Ian Botham.

Willis passed away in December at the age of 70. The former national captain played 90 Tests and 64 one-day internationals for his country, and is regarded as one of England's best ever fast bowlers.

Meanwhile, amid reports that the red-ball competition has faced opposition from some counties, the ECB insisted on Friday that all 18 have signed up to take part in the same truncated tournament.

Several clubs had held concerns about the additional cost of four-day cricket as well as questions over bio-security and the health of their players.

An ECB statement read: "All 18 first-class counties have agreed to participate in the same competitive red-ball and white-ball competitions during this summer’s shortened men’s domestic season."

The Bob Willis Trophy will begin on August 1, followed by the T20 Blast from August 27.

Fixtures for both competitions will be released this month, though the schedulers are not expected to conclude the new calendar for at least the next seven days.

Save 30% when you subscribe to The Cricketer’s print & digital bundle. £35 for 12 issues