With the domestic season set to be heavily disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, cricket must be open to innovations says CEO Derek Bowden
County Championship holders Essex have proposed a regional four-day competition to replace the regular red-ball season during what is expected to be a severely unsettled domestic season.
No professional cricket will be played in England until at least May 28 due to the coronavirus pandemic which has decimated the sporting schedule across the world.
The England and Wales Cricket Board are looking at a range of alternatives based on the campaign starting in July, August or September, but the national team, the T20 Blast and The Hundred will be prioritised.
That leaves questions over the role the four-day game could play, with a full season distinctly unlikely.
Essex are the defending champions after claiming their second title in three seasons in 2019 and want to see some domestic red-ball cricket incorporated into the schedule.
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Chief-executive Derek Bowden feels a regional round-robin competition, which would underpin the Test team and uphold the format, could be the answer.
"There is an opportunity to be creative with the schedule, try and create opportunity from the crisis and be innovative about how we play the game and entertain," he told Sky Sports.
"Let's look at regional four-day cricket, maybe four or five regional competitions with round-robin four-day cricket.
"Spectators and members would love that and it would also give us some four-day cricket to support England's Test series in a very tight schedule.
Essex chief executive Derek Bowden has a novel idea to ensure red-ball cricket is played in England in 2020.
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) March 21, 2020
"Essex could play Kent, Middlesex and Surrey, while Yorkshire could play Lancashire, Durham and one other team, maybe Nottinghamshire."
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