Club Statement: High-Performance Review and future domestic schedule
In light of the High-Performance Review being undertaken by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the on-going debate concerning the structure of the domestic schedule for 2023 onwards, Lancashire Cricket would like to update its Members and supporters on the Club’s position.
Lancashire Cricket fully understands and respects the strong feeling from within the Membership and from wider cricket supporters throughout the country regarding the amount of County Championship cricket that is played throughout the English domestic season.
At the time of writing, the Club has not held any formal meetings with the ECB that relate to the High-Performance Review, which is currently being carried out, nor have we had any formal discussions regarding the 2023 domestic schedule.
Tomorrow (Wednesday 3 August), representatives from all 18 First-Class counties will meet with the ECB for a first update session on the High-Performance Review and future domestic schedule.
The decision that will be made later in the year, and ultimately voted for by the First-Class counties, will not be a commercial decision. Rather, it will be one based on the development and welfare of our players, which must always be at the forefront of our minds throughout this process.
We all know the cricket schedule has become increasingly gruelling, both at a domestic and especially at an international level. Covid-19 also impacted the schedule around the world and has had a significant impact on player welfare. Additionally, there is an increasing number of T20 leagues which are being hosted around the world competing for priority slots within the calendar.
The recent retirement of England’s Test captain Ben Stokes from One-Day International cricket provided strong evidence of these pressures with Ben quoting in his statement: ‘We’re not cars – you can’t fill us up with petrol’.
The Club believes that by ensuring our players are at their best, both physically and mentally, they will be able to perform at their highest ability throughout the season, leading to higher quality cricket being played across the board. In this regard, we are supportive of the process being led by Sir Andrew Strauss.
However, it is also vital that cricket listens to the voice of its fans. At Lancashire Cricket, we are committed to ensuring that the voice of our Members and Supporters is heard at the highest levels whilst this review is carried out.
Daniel Gidney, Chief Executive of Lancashire Cricket said: “We are listening to the views of our Membership and, alongside player welfare, these will be at the forefront of the discussions during our upcoming meetings.
“Following the conclusion of the ECB’s High-Performance Review and the meetings, which will take place between all 18 First-Class Counties, we will endeavour to support the creation of a domestic cricket schedule which is suitable for all counties, players, Members and supporters alike.
“As conversations between all stakeholders continue, we will keep Members updated on progress.”
Chair of the Members’ Representative Group, Colin Gore, added: “This is an issue of huge significance for Members and as a result, we have been speaking to the Senior Management Team at the Club regarding the on-going speculation around next year’s domestic schedule.
“In our most recent meeting last week, they confirmed that no decision has been made on this and that there is an all-county and ECB meeting this week, to give an update on the review.
“Lancashire Cricket and the MRG are well aware of strong feelings amongst Members and cricket supporters generally and the Club have said that these concerns will be put forward to the ECB. We do acknowledge however that a key priority for all stakeholders is the players themselves and ensuring their welfare is at the forefront of any decision.”
