County Championship: Professional Cricketers’ Association calls for cut to schedule to protect players’ wellbeing | Cricket News
A reduction in county championship matches from 14 to 12 is “the only reasonable option” to try to protect the physical and mental well-being of domestic cricket players, according to the players’ union.
A professional survey of the Association of Cricket Players (PCA) showed that 83% of its members were concerned about the physical impact of the calendar and two thirds had concerns from the point of view of mental health.
The counties had discussions on the changes to the calendar for next year, with Warwickshire Seamer and president of the ACP, Olly Hannon-Dalby, urging a reduction in the quantity of red ball cricket.
“We are at a critical time concerning the future of professional cricket players in England and Wales. The calendar has always been a controversial problem and we have seen too many criticisms without change,” said Hannon-Dalby.
“But the feeling of the last seasons due to the ever -increasing intensity of the lights led the game to a position where positive measures must be taken immediately and as an opportunity for the game to grow.
“A change in format of the county championship at 12 league games is the only reasonable option and would breathe a new life in what I believe would become the best red ball competition in the world.”
Last year, Surrey completed a County Championship Triphyse
A result on what the 2026 calendar will look like this month and any modification would require the support of at least 12 of the 18 counties, some of which have publicly expressed their preferences.
Middlesex, Somerset and Surrey support the status quo of 14 games, while Durham and Lancashire are in favor of a dozen games and an upheaval of the current structure with two divisions.
APC figures have also highlighted more than three -quarters of male players believe that there is too much domestic cricket and 72% believe that the current program is not conducive to high performance.
England and Warwickshire’s sailor, Chris Woakes, said: “Players are not trying to play less cricket because they don’t want to – it is to be able to produce the best cricket on the field as possible.”
England Chris Woakes said that players wanted to continue to be cricket and produce the best possible on the field
The teams playing twice in two days in the explosion of Vitality have long been a concern, with the director general of the PCA, Daryl Mitchell, warning him last year of the potential of “disastrous” consequences on the roads.
It seems likely that the domestic competition in English T20 will be overhauled and will return to three groups of six – it is currently two sets of nine – each team playing 12 instead of 14 games.
But Mitchell said: “The congestion of the intense calendar cannot be improved sufficiently by losing two 20 -year games during a six -month season.”
England and Essex Seamer, Sam Cook, added: “You hear stories of people leading to three, four in the morning in the midst of consecutive games (blast), which from the point of view of health and lifestyle is not fair.
“We want to see these decisions made before something serious happens.
“We are not able to perform at the highest level as possible due to the current schedule. We have incredible talents and brilliant crickets in the country. I think that with the reduction of cricket, fans and supporters will see the standard increase.”
