English cricket to take on the IPL

The MCC at Lord's and major counties Surrey, Hampshire and Lancashire have joined forces to propose a competition that would see nine city or regional ' partnerships' established around the country, each of them based at an international venue.

Detailed proposals will be put before the England and Wales Cricket Board next Tuesday but the team behind the scheme believe the tournament should start in June 2010 and insist it could make a £50million profit in its first year.

There has been talk of an English Premier League ever since the IPL became a huge hit earlier this year. But now four of the domestic game's heavyweights have come up with definite proposals.

"We believe this proposal will enable English cricket to grasp the unique opportunity currently available," said one source behind the most radical plan to hit the game in this country.

The backers of the scheme have named the proposed tournament "New T20" and believe it should run for 25 days - and feature 54 games - in mid-summer.

If the format is agreed, investors would be sought with the aim of attracting the game's biggest stars. It is also hoped the media rights for new tournament would generate huge interest from broadcasters.

"We have a collective responsibility to lead the development of cricket and ensure the English game, led by the ECB, remains at the forefront of world cricket," says the document that will be put in front of all 18 first-class counties at next Tuesday's meeting and was seen by The Standard today.

Supporters of the idea claim it is based "on evolution, not revolution" but some members of the ECB - fearing for the county structure - are unlikely to see it that way.

Under their scheme, star players - like Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff - would be allocated to each city/partnership while the biggest names from overseas could be bought at auction, just like the IPL.

And, as with the Indian version, every side would have to include a set number of young English players.

"Recent developments in global cricket point to a tremendous opportunity to launch a world-class Twenty20 tournament in England," says the document. "Demand for the product is highlighted by tickets for the 2009 World Twenty20 (in England) selling out in four days."

The proposers insist that other forms of cricket, especially Test matches, need to be "protected and enhanced". They also say a Twenty20 Cup purely for counties should continue and be played on Friday evenings, a 50-over event ought to take place at weekends and the County Championship should remain a four-day competition.