What to look out for on county cricket fixture release day

KIT SHEPARD: The county fixture list is set for release on Thursday afternoon, with the 18 teams discovering their schedules in the LV= Insurance County Championship, Royal London Cup and Vitality Blast

The county fixture list is set for release on Thursday afternoon, with the 18 teams discovering their schedules in the LV= Insurance County Championship, Royal London One-Day Cup and Vitality Blast.

After a winter marred by allegations of institutional racism and England's terrible Ashes tour, the new season offers a chance to look ahead as county cricket seeks to rebuild.

So what should we look out for when the dates are available to go into diaries from 1pm?

Red-ball cricket in high summer

There are a heap of reasons why England were hammered 4-0 in Australia, but staging the bulk of domestic red-ball cricket at either end of the season is certainly not helping.

Last summer, nine rounds of the County Championship were crammed in before the middle of June, and the first of four divisional rounds began on August 30.

That left only two rounds between June 7 and August 29, as the heart of summer was dominated by white-ball competitions.

County players played the vast majority of their red-ball cricket in chilly, seam-friendly conditions which even saw snow stop play.

Indeed, after the Ashes, England captain Joe Root admitted that England players receive Test call-ups “in spite of county cricket, not because of county cricket.”

This summer will be different, with the ECB expected to schedule three rounds of the County Championship in July, as well as two in June.

However, the problem is not that simple. Many county players will be involved in England's four Test matches over July and August, or some of the 15 white-ball matches over the two months.

Exactly when these Championship rounds are squeezed in will determine whether certain England Test hopefuls have a chance to refine their red-ball game away from the international spotlight without needing hand-warmers.

^{There are expected to be more Championship rounds in high summer}

The One-Day Cup knockout stage

Last summer's inaugural season of The Hundred made the Royal London Cup a tournament for second XI players and out-grounds.

With the franchise tournament going nowhere and England as busy as ever, that does not look like changing.

What may be altered is the time period of the knockout stages. Last summer, Durham had just 48 hours between their semi-final victory over Surrey and the final against Glamorgan, who themselves had made the final a day earlier. This gave fans little time to plan the travel, accommodation and time off necessary to attend the final at Trent Bridge.

Last summer, ECB managing director of county cricket Neil Snowball told The Cricketer: "It would be good to get more of a gap between the semi-final and the final."

Whether he fulfils this ambition will reveal whether the ECB have the energy to salvage county cricket's unfashionable competition.

Traditionalists can be outraged if this year's final is not played on a weekend, as Snowball attributed last year's Thursday climax attributed to a “one-off” broadcasting situation.

An early Blast

The Vitality Blast is expected to begin on May 25, the earliest start date in six years. More significantly, it is set to conclude with Finals Day on July 16, the earliest finish in tournament history.

With the ECB also hoping to hold more Championship cricket in this window, a scenario where county players are jumping between formats is feasible.

Last summer, the bulk of Blast group games were played in June, uninterrupted by red-ball matches.

If rounds of T20s are sandwiched in between Championship games, any intentions to give players more red-ball action in the warmer months could be hindered by adjustments to different formats.

^{The T20 Blast will occupy an earlier slot in the schedule}

Who plays who, and when?

After two Covid-impacted seasons, the Championship is implementing the structure it originally devised for 2020, with 10 teams in Division 1, eight in Division 2, and each side to play 14 games.

This will create an asymmetrical fixture list in Division 1, with fairness to be determined through a seeding system based on past performance.

However, players switching teams, England call-ups and raw changes in form all ensure that what has happened in previous campaigns may not happen again. Just ask Nottinghamshire, who came within a game of the title last season having started the season without a win since June 2018.

In other words, a schedule where sides play certain opponents more often than others will inevitably create advantages for some teams.

Fans should also keep an eye on when their team plays who, with each roster better suited to specific conditions. For example, while there is never a nice time to face Middlesex’s Shaheen Afridi, it might be a little more pleasant doing so in midsummer rather than on a freezing April morning.

The wait begins

County cricket has had a tumultuous winter, for both its cricketing and wider social failings. While those problems remain unsolved, it remains a sport that means a lot to fans and captivates audiences.

Last summer saw a dramatic title race, a typically entertaining Finals Day and even the Royal London Cup was memorable, with Glamorgan capturing an historic title.

As ever, there are exciting overseas stars, such as Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan and Marnus Labuschagne.

There is plenty to get excited about, and supporters should look forward to the promise of the first day of the season, the fiercely-fought local derbies, and the nail-biting battles for silverware.