In a famous scene from the The Newsroom, Jeff Daniels’ character, Will McAvoy, exclaims,
“First problem in solving any problem is recognizing there is one.”
– Will McAvoy, The Newsroom
England cricket is having a mid-life crisis for about a decade now.
Although The Hundred is at the heart of that conversation, we should recognize that the larger issues that plague English cricket are finances and scheduling.
We have already looked at the financial statements of all counties and the level of debt they are in.
Today, we look at how scheduling has changed for first-class counties over the past 50 years and excavate some patterns.
Let’s dive right in.
Key Takeaways
- The Vitality T20 blast is currently at a 133-match season. When it began in 2003 (as the Twenty20 Cup), it was only a 48-match tournament and reached its peak with a 151-match season during 2010-11.
- Back in 1962, each County team played between 28-32 matches for a total of 254 three-day matches. 50 years later, The County Championship has become a 126 four-day match affair, where each team plays 14 matches.
- 48.92% of the 1987 first class season was County Championship matches (204/417), whereas only 34.05% of the 2024 season is County matches (126/370).
- In 1975, there were 25 days of international cricket (5 Tests). By the time we got to 2010, the English home season had 51 days of international cricket.
Table of Contents
- The Challenge
- 2024 English Domestic Season
- County Championship (1948-2024)
- T20 Vitality Blast (2003-2024)
- T20 Blast Attendance
- Evolution of England’s Domestic Season (1962-2023)
- Final Thoughts
Why Do We Care? The Scheduling Challenge for English Cricket
The England-Sri Lanka series has continuously been interrupted for bad light. Chris Woakes even bowled a few hilariously filthy off-spin deliveries!
Well that’s what you get for hosting home English Test matches in September.
In other news, Tymal Mills has criticized the scheduling of the T20 Blast since international players will most likely miss the final. The finals is slated for September 14th, the same week England-Australia T20Is will take place.
These are all valid issues. However, why is it that the English domestic cricket schedule is scrutinized all the time, but the Indian domestic system is not?
Mainly weather.
English Weather and Summer Break
According to the climate portal of the World Bank Group, average precipitation in the UK increases dramatically between September and October from about 90 mm to 130 mm.
May is the driest month, while July is the hottest month.
Attention Spans are Getting Shorter
With AI taking over the world and everybody glued to their phones, it is no surprise that attention spans are getting shorter.
Students in the UK usually have a summer break from mid-July to late August, and schools go back in session around September. That’s not all—The Wimbledon takes place between the end of June & mid-July with the English Premier League following in mid-August.
The challenge for English domestic cricket is to simultaneously capture the attention of the public and escape from rain. Trying to fit international cricket, County Championship, and 3 separate limited over tournaments within 3-4 months and with the same group of players is nigh impossible and borderline, insane.
Indian cricket has the luxury to host the IPL between March-May and still have the Ranji Trophy & their Test between October-February. The rest of the year, India can host bilaterals and other tournaments like the Duleep Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali, etc.
English Domestic Season in a Nutshell
The modern English domestic season mainly consists of the following four types of tournament:
- County Championship (first class), ODI Cup (List A), T20 Blast (domestic T20), experimental (currently, The Hundred)
- For this analysis, we have looked at the schedules of County Championship, T20 Blast, The Hundred, Benson & Hedges Cup, Gillette Cup, Royal London One Day Cup, Sunday League, Bob Willis Trophy, and England’s international schedules.
*Note: Competitions involving National/minor counties, universities, MCC exhibition matches, and and tournaments such as Gentleman vs Players (ran from 1806-1963) are not considered in this analysis.
Embed from Getty ImagesHow Does the Current 2024 Domestic Season Look Like?
In theory, a three-format English cricketer who plays all possible matches in domestic cricket and The Hundred can play a maximum of 125 days of cricket at home given there is no overlap. That is 68.30% of the 183 total days between April 1st and September 30th.
2024 Season (Current Format with the Hundred)
Total Domestic Matches: 370
- Max Days of Internationals: 37
- Max Day of Domestic Cricket Per County: 88 (56 first class, 32 limited overs)
- County Championship: 14 Matches (4 day per match)
- Royal One Day Cup: 8
- Vitality T20 Blast: 14
- The Hundred: 10
International Home Season Breakdown
- May 22-May 30: 4 T20Is vs Pakistan (4 maximum days of cricket)
- July 10-July 28: 3 Tests vs West Indies (15 maximum days of cricket)
- August 21-September 10: 3 Tests vs Sri Lanka (15)
- September 11-September 29: 3 T20Is, 5 ODIs (8)
| Competition | Type | Matches | Date Range |
| County Championship | First-Class | 126 | 5 Apr-29 Sept |
| One Day Cup | 50 Overs | 77 | 30 May-14 Sept |
| T20 Blast | 20 Overs | 133 | 24 Jul-22 Sept |
| The Hundred | 100 Balls | 34 | 23 Jul-18 Aug |
County Championship (1948-2024)
Before 1988, all County Championship Matches were played as 3-day games. After 1993, all matches became 4-day affairs and between 1988-1992, it was a mix of 3 and 4 day games.
Here are some additional notes:
- In 1992, Durham was added as the 18th team in the County Championship. Before 1988, we have 17 teams and 18 teams after.
- Between 1960-1962, a team could play a maximum of 32 first class games or a maximum of 96 days of cricket (since County was only 3 days back then).
- Between 1988-1991, each team played sixteen 3-day matches (120 matches total) and six 4-day matches.
- In comparison, a player in the 2024 County Championship could play a maximum of 14 first class games or a maximum of 56 days of first class cricket (4-day).
The ‘cricketing days’ column is the (number of matches) * (3 or 4) depending if it is a 3-day or 4-day match. This does not represent the actual days played since multiple County matches may overlap on a single day.
| Years | Total Matches | Cricketing Days | Matches Per Team |
| 1948-1949 | 221 | 663 | 26 |
| 1950-1959 | 238 | 714 | 28 |
| 1960-1962 | 254 | 762 | Mix of 28/32 |
| 1963-1968 | 238 | 714 | 28 |
| 1969-1971 | 204 | 612 | 24 |
| 1972-1976 | 172 | 516 | 20 |
| 1977-1982 | 187 | 561 | 22 |
| 1983-1987 | 204 | 612 | 24 |
| 1988-1991 | 187 | 628 | 22 |
| 1992 | 198 | 628 | 22 |
| 1993-1999 | 152 | 608 | 17 |
| 2000-2016 | 144 | 576 | 16 |
| 2017-2019 | 126 | 504 | 14 |
| 2020* | 46 (Bob Willis Trophy) | 184 | – |
| 2021 | 126 (+1 BW Trophy) | 508 | 14 |
| 2022-2024 | 126 | 504 | 14 |
Note*: In 2020, the County Championship was cancelled, and only the Bob Willis Trophy took place.
Embed from Getty ImagesT20 Vitality Blast
The schedule for the T20 Blast has been an issue since The Hundred began, but was it ever a reasonable schedule?
Annie Chave, editor of County Cricket Matters, mentioned to me in a message,
“There’s never really been a perfect schedule…I thought it worked well when T20s were on Friday nights and there seemed to be a regularity in the season, but I also liked a little bit of B&H & Gillette Cup!”
Between 2003-2019, the format of the T20 Blast, formerly known as the Twenty20 Cup, changed a staggering 7 times ranging from 48-matches to 151-matches.
The Early Years (2003-2009)
The early years had a pretty decent number of matches gradually increasing from 48 to 97.
(Side note: There is no direct correlation between an earlier end date for the T20 Blast and number of rained out matches as we can see from 2007-2008).
| Year | Matches | Finals Date | Rained Out Matches |
| 2003 | 48 | 19th July | 0 |
| 2004 | 52 | 7th August | 4 |
| 2005 | 79 | 30th July | 11 |
| 2006 | 79 | 12th August | 2 |
| 2007 | 79 | 4th August | 19 |
| 2008 | 97 | 26th July | 20 |
| 2009 | 97 | 15th August | 3 |
The Expansion and T20 Blast Scheduling Overkill (2014-2020)
The 2010s were when the scheduling problem amplified not only in the English domestic scene, but also internationally.
The domestic schedule could theoretically afford the increase from 97 games in 2009 to 151 in 2010 since the Gillette Cup & Sunday League ended and morphed into a single ECB 40 competition, but it realistically made the domestic schedule even more complex.
| Year | Matches | Finals Date | Rained Out Matches |
| 2010 | 151 | 14th August | 5 |
| 2011 | 151 | 27th August | 23 |
| 2012 | 97 | 25th August | 20 |
| 2013 | 97 | 17th August | 1 |
| 2014 | 133 | 23rd August | 12 |
| 2015 | 133 | 29th August | 9 |
| 2016 | 133 | 20th August | 15 |
| 2017 | 133 | 2nd September | 16 |
| 2018 | 133 | 15th September | 12 |
| 2019 | 133 | 21st September | 24 |
| 2020* | 97 | 4th October | 12 |
Post The Hundred (2021-2024)
| Year | Matches | Finals Date | Rained Out Matches |
| 2021 | 133 | 18th September | 13 |
| 2022 | 133 | 16th July | 6 |
| 2023 | 133 | 15th July | 2 |
| 2024 | 133 | 14th September | 10 |
The Hundred
The reason The Hundred has become a point of contention is not necessarily due to the new format created of out of the whim.
Rather, it goes back to attention span. Late July to mid-August is a coveted window in the English domestic calendar.
The Hundred being scheduled during this valuable time slot means that T20 Blast matches becomes a secondary tournament. Furthermore, Test series are delayed to September, where there is a higher likelihood of being affected by rain or bad light. In addition, some rounds of the T20 Blast and the Royal One Day occur during this time, which means County teams have to find a second XI to field their teams (since most marquee players would be at The Hundred).
| Year | Starting Date | Ending Date |
| 2021 | 23rd July | 18th August |
| 2022 | 1st August | 27th August |
| 2023 | 3rd August | 3rd September |
| 2024 | 21st July | 21st August |
T20 Vitality Blast Attendance
In 2003, the Vitality Blast begun with an attendance of about 257,759. Over the years, the attendance has ebbed and flowed and has slightly dipped since the inception of the 100-ball competition:
- 2003: 257,759 (5,370 average attendance)
- 2007: 415,751 (5,263)
- 2008: 583,642 (6,016)
- 2010: 676,753 (4,481)
- 2014: 740,205 (5,565)
- 2018: 931,455 (7,003)
- 2019: 920,000 (6,917)
- 2022: 800,000 (6,015)
Sources: George Dobell’s ESPNCricinfo article, Being Outside Cricket Blog
Frustrating 2024 Schedule
We can see why the current T20 Blast schedule is frustrating. There are long gaps and break of continuity, a situation worsened by The Hundred.
- May 30-June 21: Round 1
- July 5-19: Round 2
- September 3-6: Quarter-finals
- September 14: Semi-finals and Final
Sam Billings sums the situation up perfectly.
6.5 weeks from the end of the blast to the QFs is a real shame for the competition.
— Sam Billings (@sambillings) September 3, 2024
Great week with a QF every night though!
One Day Tournaments and Experimental Formats
The Hundred is not the first time England cricket is pioneering a new format. They started with 65 overs back in the early 1960s, created a 40-over tournament that built the backbone of England’s 2009 WC winning squad, and are now experimenting with 100-ball cricket.
Here is a brief timeline:
- 2014-2024: Royal London One Day Cup
- 2021-2024: The Hundred
- 2010-2013: ECB 40
- 1972-2002: Benson & Hedges Cup (55-overs first few years, then 50 overs)
- 1969-2009: Sunday League/National League/NatWest Pro40 (50, 45, then 40 overs)
- 1963-2009: Gillette Cup/NatWest Trophy/C&G Trophy/Friends Provident Trophy
Notes*:
- The Sunday League was also referred to as the John Player League
- C&G Trophy: Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy
How Has the English International & Domestic Season Evolved Over the Past 60 Years?
1962 Season (Longest Recent County Championship Season, Last Season Pre-ODIs)
Total Domestic Matches: 278
- Max Days of Internationals: 25
- Max Days of Domestic Cricket Per County: 80
- 78 County Matches, 1-2 tour match against Pakistan
International Home Season
- May 31st-20th August: 5 Tests vs Pakistan (max 25 days of cricket)
- April 28th-10th September: 24 First-Class Tour matches (72 days) apart from 7 other unofficial matches
1975 Season (World Cup and Ashes Year)
Total Domestic Matches: 377
By 1975, the modern English domestic season was established, and ODI cricket had taken its root in England. This was an interesting season because it also had an Ashes series and the inaugural ODI World Cup.
- Max Days of Internationals: 25
- Max Days of Domestic Cricket Per County: 88 (60 first class, 28 limited overs)
- County Championship: 60 (20 matches)
- Sunday League: 16
- Benson & Hedges Cup: 7
- Gillete Cup: 5 (Knockout format)
- County Championship
- Gillete Cup, Sunday League, Friends Provident Trophy
International Home Season
- 10 July 1975-3 September 1975: 4-Test Ashes (20 days max)
- ODI World Cup: 5 Matches Max (3 Group, semi-final, and final)
| Competition | Type | Number of Matches | Date Range |
| County Championship | First-Class | 172 | 30 Apr-17 Sept |
| 1975 ODI WC | 60 overs | 15 | 7 Jun-21 Jun |
| Gillete Cup | 60 Overs | 22 | 25 Jun-6 Sept |
| Sunday League | 40 Overs | 136 | 4 May-14 Sept |
| Benson & Hedges Cup | 55 Overs | 47 | 26 Apr-19 Jul |
1987 Season (Last of 3-Day County Matches)
Total Domestic Matches: 417
- Max Days of Internationals: 28
- Max Days of Domestic Cricket Per County: 100 (72 first class, 28 limited overs)
- County Championship: 72 (24 matches)
- Refuge Assurance League: 16
- Benson & Hedges Trophy: 7
- Natwest Trophy: 5
International Home Season
- May 21-May 25: 3 ODIs vs Pakistan (3)
- June 4-August 11: 5 Tests vs Pakistan (25)
| Competition | Type | Matches | Date Range |
| County Championship | First-Class | 204 | 25 Apr-15 Sept |
| Natwest Trophy | 60 Overs | 30 | 24 Jun-7 Sept |
| Benson & Hedges Trophy | 55 Overs | 47 | 2 May-11 Jul |
| Refuge Assurance League (Sunday) | 40 Overs | 136 | 3 May-13 Sept |
2003 Season (Birth of T20 Cricket)
Total Domestic Matches: 413
- Max Days of Internationals: 32
- Max Days of Domestic Cricket Per County: 113 (65 first class, 48 limited overs)
- County Championship: 64 (16 Matches)
- 1 Tour Match vs South Africa
- National League: 16
- National League: 16 (Division I), 18 (Division II)
- Twenty20 Cup: 7
- C & G Trophy: 7
International Home Season
- June 26-July 12: Natwest Series vs South Africa & Zimbabwe (7 matches maximum per team)
- July 24-September 8: 5 Tests vs South Africa (25)
- 6 Domestic Tour Matches
| Competition | Type | Matches | Date Range |
| County Championship | First-Class | 144 | 18 Apr-17 Sept |
| National League (Sunday) | 45 Overs | 162 | 27 Apr-21 Sept |
| Twenty20 Cup | 20 Overs | 48 | 13 Jun-19 Jul |
| C & G Trophy | 100 Balls | 59 | 29 Aug 2002-30 Aug 2003 |
2005 Season (Ashes Season)
Total Domestic Matches: 416
- Max Days of International Cricket: 39
- Max Days of Domestic Cricket Per County: 100 (64 first class, 36 limited overs)
- County Championship: 64 (16 Matches)
- National Totesport League: 16 (Division I), 18 (Division II)
- Twenty20 Cup: 11
- C & G Trophy: 5
International Home Season
- May 26-June 5: 2 Tests vs Bangladesh (10)
- June 13: 1 T20I vs Australia (1)
- July 7-July 12: 3 ODIs vs Australia (3)
- July 21-September 12: 5 Test Ashes vs Australia (25)
| Competition | Type | Matches | Date Range |
| County Championship | First-Class | 144 | 13 Apr-24 Sept |
| National League (Sunday) | 45 Overs | 162 | 17 Apr-25 Sept |
| C&G Trophy | 50 Overs | 31 | 3 May-3 Sept |
| Twenty20 Cup | 20 Overs | 79 | 22 Jun-30 Jul |
2010 Season (Inaugural ECB40, Expansion of T20 Blast)
Total Domestic Matches: 424
- Max Days of Home International Cricket: 51
- Max Days of Domestic Cricket Per County: 96 (64 first class, 32 limited overs)
- County Championship: 64 (16 matches)
- T20 Blast: 18
- ECB 40: 14
International Home Season
- May 27-June 6: 2 Tests vs Bangladesh (10)
- June 22-July 3: 5 ODIs vs Australia (5)
- July 8-July 12: 3 ODIs vs Bangladesh (3)
- July 29-August 26: 4 Tests vs Pakistan (24)
- September 5-September 7: 2 T20Is vs Pakistan (2)
- September 10-September 22: 5 ODIs vs Pakistan (5)
Note: Prior to the home season, 2010 T20 World Cup occurred between April 30-16 May in the West Indies, and England were the winners. They played 7 matches during this campaign.
| Competition | Type | Matches | Date Range |
| County Championship | First-Class | 144 | 9 Apr-16 Sept |
| ECB Clydesdale Bank 40 | 40 Overs | 129 | 25 Apr-18 Sept |
| Friends Provident T20 Blast | 20 Overs | 151 | 1 Jun-14 Aug |
2019 Season (World Cup, Ashes Pre-Hundred)
Total Domestic Matches: 336
- Max Days of International Cricket: 46
- Max Days of Domestic Cricket Per County: 84 (56 first class, 28 limited overs)
- County Championship: 56 (14)
- T20 Blast: 17
- Royal One-Day Cup: 11
International Home Season
- May 5-19: 1 T20I, 5 ODIs vs Pakistan (6)
- 3 List A Tour matches
- May 30-14 July: 2019 ODI World Cup (11 matches – 9 group, semi-final, final)
- July 24-27: 1 Test vs Ireland (4-Day Test)
- August 1-September 16: 5 Tests vs Australia (25)
- 3 Tour matches (2 3-day, 1 4-day)
| Competition | Type | Matches | Date Range |
| County Championship | First-Class | 126 | 5 Apr-26 Sept |
| 2019 ODI WC | 50 Overs | 48 | 30 May-14 Jul |
| Royal One Day Cup | 50 Overs | 77 | 17 Apr-19 May |
| T20 Blast | 20 Overs | 133 | 18 Jul-21 Sept |
2023 Season (Ashes Post-Hundred)
Total Domestic Matches: 370
- Max Days of Internationals: 40
- Max Days of Domestic Cricket Per County: 95 (57 first class, 38 limited overs)
- County Championship: 56 (14 matches)
- 1 tour Match
- Vitality T20 Blast: 17
- One Day Cup: 11
- The Hundred: 10
International Home Season
- June 1-4: 1 Test vs Ireland (4-Day Test)
- One tour Match took place
- June 16-July 31: 5-Test Ashes vs Australia (25)
- August 30-September 15: 4 T20Is, 4 ODIs vs New Zealand (8)
- 2 Tour matches
- September 20-26: 3 ODIs vs Ireland (3)
*Note: The ICC World Test Championship took place between 7-11th June at the Oval.
| Competition | Type | Matches | Date Range |
| County Championship | First-Class | 126 | 6 Apr-29 Sept |
| One Day Cup | 50 Overs | 77 | 1 Aug-16 Sept |
| T20 Blast | 20 Overs | 133 | 20 May-15 July |
| The Hundred | 100 Balls | 34 | 1 Aug-27 Aug |
Final Thoughts
From the ECB point of view, I get it. More limited over matches means more attendance, and in the long term, better financial stability (hopefully), but is the overkill of cricket really worth it?
Vic Marks warned in a 2003 Guardian article, Less is more for Twenty20,
“We all recognise that the Twenty20 Cup has been a startling success…Yet I would make a plea to the ECB and the administrators around the counties who smell a golden goose…Cricket is not good at this. At international level, look at the congested schedules that are exhausting players and spectators alike. Short-term greed will backfire.“
– Vic Marks
That was 2003, when the Twenty20 Cup was only 48 matches, and The Hundred did not exist. 21 years later with the proliferation of franchise leagues and ICC tournaments every year, the situation has become even worse.
The ECB continued with the same 133-match format for the T20 Blast even after The Hundred. Maybe there is a case to go back to 2005-07 format, where 79-matches were played throughout or abolish The Hundred altogether.
Is there a Solution to England’s Schedule Woes?
Is there a solution?
Probably, but that is beyond the scope of this article (I have a ‘truly marvelous’ solution to this issue, but the margins are too narrow to contain it).
However, little changes can go a long way.
For starters, as Adam Collins argues on his podcast, scheduling September Test matches earlier in the day or adding lost overs to the beginning of the next day can be a start.
Remember, today’s goal was not to solve England’s domestic scheduling problem. Rather, it was to realize that this is the main problem for England’s administration to solve.
****
Thank you all for reading!
What do you all think about how to resolve the domestic English schedule? Comment below, would love to know your thoughts!
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- Alternative World Test Championship Points Table System: A Complete Guide
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- How Much Money Does it take the ICC to Host a Cricket World Cup? (Case Study)
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