This autumn a meeting of First Class counties agreed an approach to develop a new T20 competition to run alongside the existing domestic structure and earlier this week the ECB Board was given an update on work so far.
The process to develop full proposals is now being driven by a T20 Development Team consisting of four ECB executives, two chief executives from the counties, and the Professional Cricketers’ Association chief executive.
They have put forward the core principles behind the new competition - encompassing scheduling, venue selection, players & coaches, broadcast opportunities and brand development - with the overall aim to take cricket to a new audience, focus on a diverse family crowd and make a positive impact on participation, as Chairman Colin Graves explained in September.
The aim is to have detailed plans, for an eight-team competition to start in 2020, ready to present to the next meeting of the first-class chairmen and chief executives in the spring.
Gordon Hollins, the ECB’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “This group is taking a strategic approach and will make decisions based on research and insight as well as drawing from a range of experience around the counties.
“They have clear reporting lines, a programme of regular meetings and an objective to present detailed plans in the spring.
“This is such an important and exciting project for cricket and it’s really starting to take shape.”