County Cricket / Frank Gregan / 02 April 2012 /

Many people deride the County Championship and we're afraid to say that BB blogger Frank Gregan is one of them. Here he outlines the problems facing the domestic game in the opening week of the new season

This year's County Championship gets under way on Thursday with the Division Two matches kicking off the calendar.

Division One starts the following week where Lancashire will be hoping to retain their title, their season begins with a home encounter against Sussex. Lancs have engaged the services of the South African batsman Ashwell Prince to play in the four day and 40 over versions of the game but are keeping their T20 options open with an eye on recruiting an overseas player with a style more suited to the shortest format.

Finding the big money to attract a big name star for the T20 will be a problem because despite their successful season on the field last year they had an annus horribilis off it recording record losses.

Their big money earner comes around next year when Ashes cricket makes a return to Old Trafford, another reminder that the counties rely heavily on the ECB when it comes to showing a profitable bottom line. Ashes Tests in Manchester are sell outs; county matches attract the proverbial solo individual and his canine buddy.

Why is county cricket not a box office attraction? There are so many reasons. The obvious one is getting the time off work, the vast majority of members at clubs are retired and it's normally a choice of going to the cricket or a day care centre but the four day game is not a format that's work-force friendly.

That can be overcome, Test matches take place during the working week but every English cricket fan is prepared to do what has to be done, take a day off, chuck in a sickie, hand in their resignation - whatever - to get to a Test match. County cricket will never have that appeal and probably the fundamental reason is the fayre on offer.

The game's biggest stars make fleeting cameo appearances. The central contract issued by the ECB to England's finest ensures that he that calls the piper and all that is applied. The county game is seen as a schooling for the up and coming but also as a school for England players that are not performing, they're sent back to regain some form.

The problem is that when a quality England international goes back to county cricket he'll average just short of 800 runs if he's a batsman and take a 10 for at the first attempt if he's a bowler. That's because the gulf between county cricket and international cricket is immense. And that works the other way of course, a career cricketer in his late twenties that shows solid form in the county game when given a chance to represent his country invariably looks like a doughnut because he's so out of his depth.

One way of bridging the divide would be to have the centrally contracted players turning out for their counties more often. Yeah, great idea, Einstein. How on earth could any more cricket be shoehorned into an England player's lot? That's the problem, the international schedule is so hectic it's making the domestic game vastly inferior.

The finest players in England will be in action when the County Championship gets started on Thursday. They'll be playing in the third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo! This was a series I thought the English would win but they are handicapped because their batting is so dire against spin away from home.

They have the ability to bounce back and Jonathan Trott showed in the second innings that with patience and the correct shot selection the spinners can be mastered. The match odds market is very even with Sri Lanka at [2.92], England at [3.15] and the draw [2.92].

Wearing a steel helmet, a bullet-proof vest and hiding behind the sofa the recommendation is England. Why? Because they are capable of so much better than they have shown so far this year.

And remember what happens to the players if they get dropped, it's back to school in county cricket where the dunce's hat and the naughty corner await!

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