Surrey County Cricket Club’s director of cricket, Alec Stewart, has emphasized the importance of maintaining the integrity of the County Championship following Surrey’s back-to-back title wins.
As Surrey dominated Hampshire in their recent match, securing the title while Essex failed to reach 400 points at Northampton, Stewart expressed his concern about the lack of respect for the County Championship. He stated, “The County Championship deserves more recognition, especially with the abundance of cricket being played elsewhere.”
Stewart specifically criticized the scheduling of the recent ODIs against Ireland, which coincided with important County Championship matches. He expressed, “To me, this shows a lack of respect for the county game. Could the scheduling have been better to ensure only one game was missed and all three games were played alongside the penultimate match and its first rest day, making all players available?”
Furthermore, Stewart raised concerns about the congested schedule in September next year, which includes various events such as the Blast quarter-finals, Finals Day, the Rachael Heyhoe Flint final, the Metro Bank final, the County Championship conclusion, and international matches. He remarked, “The ECB plans to label it ‘Super September,’ but in reality, it disrupts the county game. During the T20 quarter-final, a Test match will be on. When the T20 finals take place, England will be playing T20s against Australia. The 50-over final clashes with an England-Australia match. While I want England to excel, we need to find a balance that respects county cricket, as it is the stepping stone for players to progress to the national team.”
Stewart also questioned the value of the mid-season two-match experiment with the Kookaburra ball, asking why it was necessary. Additionally, he expressed dissatisfaction with the unbalanced structure of the County Championship.
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