Andrew Strauss calls for changes to county cricket

The England captain, Andrew Strauss, would like to see county cricket restructured to aid the development of players for the Test side. Strauss will play in Middlesex's opening game of the season against Worcestershire this week and could play six times for his county before returning to England duty.

"The lack of preparation for games which the schedule allows is something that needs to be addressed," Strauss told Cricinfo. "I think there are two things – reducing the overall volume of cricket would be useful, as long as those days off are used wisely, and secondly, I think it could be better structured into blocks of four-day and one-day cricket, which would help you to prepare for each format better."

A US-style conference system has been suggested as one possible solution, but Strauss is a keen fan of the current two-tier set-up and would also like the one-day game at domestic level to continue to reflect the international version. "I've heard all the proposals and each has its merits. But I think you want the best teams playing the best teams as often as possible," he said. "Two divisions has been useful in that respect so finding something similar would be good from my point of view.

"Some people mentioned international cricket could turn into 40-over cricket, but while the international game remains 50 overs I think the county game should replicate that."

Source & Image:  The Gaurdian