ECB in talks about T20 Blast revamp amid rise of the Hundred

Next year’s T20 Blast could be played in a new group structure as the competition aims to remain relevant alongside the Hundred and the congested global cricket calendar.

The Vitality Blast, which has been running since 2003, is the financial lifeblood of the county game. But there are concerns that the competition has become stale, with the same teams playing each other in the two regional groups of nine, while the Hundred has grown in strength.

Counties are considering whether to shake up the 2024 competition by dispensing with the regional structure and instead drawing the two groups based on seedings determined by performance. This would allow counties to play fresher opponents: Surrey and Yorkshire, the two most successful sides in the history of the county game, have only played each other once in T20. Some pairs of counties have still never faced each other.

The reforms being considered would still guarantee that the most fierce local derbies, which can be highly lucrative for counties, are maintained. Before the group draw, counties would be guaranteed to meet one or two local rivals – for instance, Surrey would be guaranteed to meet Middlesex and Yorkshire and Lancashire could be guaranteed to play each other. The remainder of the draw would then be based upon seedings.

It is hoped that this hybrid model would both ensure that county fans retain the highest-profile matches, while offering them a greater variety of opponents and, potentially, grounds to visit: Warwickshire, for instance, have played Northamptonshire 41 times in T20s yet have never faced Middlesex. Ensuring local rivalries remain would also reduce the extra travel demands on players.

The tweaks to the group stages are part of a broader set of changes being considered for next year’s T20 Blast with the aim to increase total attendance – which was over 800,000 in 2023 – considerably. More group matches are planned for Friday nights – the prime slots for counties – and weekends to help boost crowds further and develop an ‘appointment to view’ culture around attending games.

This knockout stages of next year’s tournament could be pushed back, with discussions around playing the quarter-finals and finals day – which took place on July 15 this year – in September, after the Hundred.

Next summer threatens to be a particular challenge for the Blast because of the T20 World Cup, which will be played in West Indies and USA from June 4-30. The World Cup will rob the Blast not only of England stars but also of overseas talent, with 20 nations competing. The football European Championships in Germany, which run from June 14 – July 14, and the Olympic Games in Paris, which run from July 26 to August 11, add to a packed summer schedule.

Any changes to the domestic schedule for the 2024 season would need to be voted through by 12 of the 18 counties.