Mens high performance review report

SEPTEMBER 2022 WHY WE BELIEVE THIS WORKS FOR EVERYONE HIGH-PERFORMANCE REVIEW OF MEN’S CRICKET IN ENGLAND AND WALES A more balanced schedule with less cricket on the fringes of the season Good For Players More time to train, rest and prepare, enabling better performance Less cricket at the margins of the season Multi-format players get matches in blocks – helping them hone skills and reduce risk of injury More chance to develop skills on international quality wickets that have had more time to be prepared In-form Blast players have a better chance of playing in The Hundred A schedule that is better aligned between domestic and international cricket, enabling Test players to prepare at any point in the season with first-class cricket, and more availability for domestic white-ball competitions Good for Fans High-quality, high-intensity first-class cricket throughout the heart of the summer, with a mix of white ball cricket too to give fans choice More chance of seeing players perform at their best More chance to see England players in county cricket Higher jeopardy competitions, with fewer dead rubbers Better pitches, enabling more entertaining cricket Better chance of seeing high-quality overseas players due to a single T20 Blast window Good for FCCs and Staff Peaks and troughs in staff workload are smaller and easier to manage, improving wellbeing Easier to market and sell tickets around a clear schedule Coaches spend more time developing players in-season Core membership product enhanced compared to existing schedule – first-class cricket throughout the summer A 15% reduction in the total volume of cricket, reducing player fatigue Guaranteed 13 first-class games, with up to 14 via play-offs First-class cricket in every month between May and September In summary, this proposed domestic structure will create a better aligned, more deliberate and more fan-friendly schedule that, most importantly, follows the principle of “quality over quantity for all”. Specifically, this schedule will give counties first-class cricket in every month from May to September, addresses the peaks and troughs of the current schedule, and reduces the volume of cricket to a level that is more conducive to high performance % OF DAYS PLAYED IN A MONTH AVERAGE COUNTY > > = AVERAGE DAYS PER COUNTY MAY TO AUG AVERAGE APR + SEP AVERAGE PROPOSAL APR 0 4 8 12 16 20 Today Proposal MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP TODAY 79 DAYS 52 DAYS 27 DAYS 16 DAYS 68 DAYS 52 DAYS 29