County Championship set to remain at 14 matches in 2023

The ongoing ECB high-performance review has been assessing where structural changes are required in the English domestic game, in an effort to narrow the gap between county cricket and the international arena

The County Championship fixture list is set to remain at 14 fixtures per side in 2023.

The ongoing high-performance review has been assessing where structural changes are required in the English domestic game, in an effort to narrow the gap between county cricket and the international arena.

As part of the review, a reduction of the number of red-ball games is believed to have been under discussion, but such a course of action is highly unlikely to be implemented next season, as the ECB seeks to give counties the opportunity to further consult with players, members and other key stakeholders.

It has not yet been determined how those 14 fixtures will be split in terms of divisions, with counties ultimately having the final say in the makeup of the competition.

Sir Andrew Strauss, who is leading the panel, wrote in an ECB blog: "It will be important the first-class counties have the appropriate time to consider the final recommendations and to properly engage with their stakeholders. The First-Class County Chairs Representative Board has therefore proposed the 2023 LV= Insurance County Championship remains at 14 matches for each county.

^{The County Championship will stay at 14 fixtures in 2023 [Getty Images]}

"This will allow more time for the debate about the best long-term structure from 2024 onwards to take place."

The suggestion that the Championship calendar could be cut was met with considerable resistance among pockets of members across the country, with several thousand signing a petition opposing a reduction. 

How the 2024 competition - and the rest of the calendar - is structured remains unclear, however. The ECB released research and initial findings on Friday, compiled in association with the sports intelligence agency Twenty First Group, which indicate the high-performance review's preferred direction is to reduce the number of teams in the top division of the Championship, in an effort to create a "best versus best" scenario. 

"The analysis tells us that English players struggle more than players from other countries to transition from domestic to international cricket, how domestic spinners get less opportunities than in other countries and how overseas first-class experience is beneficial to Test cricketers," Strauss wrote. 

"Whilst I recognise debates over our domestic structures are impassioned and will attract a lot of discussion, our review and proposals are much broader."

Further suggestions from the review panel include an increased emphasis on England Lions as a pathway to the senior side, with an 80 per cent focus on red-ball cricket, and 20 per cent on 50-over cricket.

^{Sir Andrew Strauss leads the ECB high-performance review [Getty Images]}

The opportunity for county players to play overseas prior to an international call-up is also addressed, with a return of a pre-season North v South series - probably in the UAE - on the table for consideration, so to is a "best possible quality" 50-over competition in April, and the suggestion of playing red-ball cricket alongside The Hundred in August. 

Further options for discussion - which the ECB research document describes as "emerging ideas" - include the introduction of a bonus-points system relating to the quality of pitches produced by counties for first-team competitions, and a formal compensation arrangement to reward those counties who nurture elite talent. 

None of these ideas are set in stone, and the review will now consult with the 18 first-class counties and the Professional Cricketers' Association ahead of presenting a formal proposal for a vote on September 20. The review will also analyse the findings of the Cricket Supporters' Association's annual survey.

"We have made our initial proposals and findings and now it will be for the first-class counties to make any decisions over domestic structures – all we can do is provide them with informed recommendations," Strauss wrote.

"We want a thriving and future-proofed men's domestic game, in which all 18 first-class counties are established at the heart of our ambitions."

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• Andrew Strauss: Counties and ECB must be "respectful of traditions" when deciding domestic structure