Durham has put forward a proposal to restructure county cricket after discussions with other counties and the ECB.
Durham has announced its support for an overhaul of English domestic cricket, including the introduction of a rugby-style Grand Final to determine the County Championship winner.
The county has addressed its members, external outlining a proposed change to the domestic structure and schedule aimed at alleviating player fatigue.
The proposal, which Durham states has been developed in conjunction with other counties and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), suggests scrapping the current two-division championship format.
It would be replaced by two upper divisions, each consisting of six teams, and a lower division also comprising six teams.
The leading team from each upper division would then contest a five-day “Grand Final,” which Durham believes would become “the first £1m domestic red-ball match.”
The Grand Final format is already implemented in Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa.
The sides in the lower conference would compete for two promotion slots, with one county from each upper conference being relegated to accommodate them.
The proposed format would provide each county with 12 games, facing the other five teams in their group both home and away, followed by two inter-group matches, one at home and one away.
Durham is the latest county to publicly express its preferred structure for the future of the County Championship.
Lancashire has also voiced its preference for two divisions of six teams, while Surrey and Somerset have advocated for an eight-team top flight and a 10-team second tier, retaining 14 games per season.
Middlesex has supported maintaining the status quo: 10 teams in Division One, eight in Division Two, and 14 games.
Durham chairman Phil Collins stated on the club website, external: “We support the 18-county model but believe the current 10/8 division structure lacks meaningful fixtures as the season progresses.”
“The current structure produces a plethora of games in both divisions that do not have any meaning; teams involved in mid table games in the last third of the season onwards do not have any jeopardy… the teams involved cannot get into a title or promotion race and are safe from relegation.”
“We don’t believe this produces the intensity of cricket that our great game needs and is something that both players and fans constantly comment on to us.”
The proposal also suggests reducing the size of the T20 Blast to comprise three groups of six teams each, with the entire competition played before The Hundred commences.
The county stated that the plans were formulated following a Professional Cricketers’ Association survey, which revealed that 83% of players believe the current schedule “harms physical wellbeing,” 72% stated it “hinders high performance,” and over two-thirds claimed that mental health is affected by the intensity.
The statement further noted that other counties have proposed alternative structures, including an 8/10 and a 10/8 division split.
Collins indicated that the idea will be discussed at a members forum on July 30.
“These proposals aim to reduce workload, enhance performance, and offer more compelling cricket. We believe they represent the best way forward,” he added.
The ECB has been approached for comment.
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