A revamped domestic Twenty20 competition similar to the Big Bash in Australia would be largely welcomed by current county professionals, according to the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA).
The NatWest T20 Blast is widely considered to lag behind the more lucrative and glitzy Indian Premier League and Big Bash franchise competitions.
And a survey conducted by the representative body of past and present first-class cricketers in England and Wales seems to indicate the need for change.
The PCA has had 240 responses from around 400 professional cricketers polled, with 81.3 per cent at least agreeing that "a new super league competition, similar to Big Bash, creating new teams, would be good for the game".
However, 63 per cent would favour a new "attractive super league" made up of two divisions with promotion and relegation rather than a simply reducing the number of teams.
Former England international Kevin Pietersen, a well-known critic of the current set-up, said on BreatheSport: "Only franchise cricket will challenge Big Bash, IPL or CPL! 8 teams!"
The length of the T20 Blast, with this year's competition starting in May and ending at Edgbaston this weekend, was also the subject of some scrutiny.
PCA chief executive Angus Porter and assistant Jason Ratcliffe concluded: " Whilst recognising the commercial and scheduling challenges of doing so, from a cricketing perspective, the T20 competition should revert to being played in a block - and it will significantly improve the quality of the product if England and other international players feature more regularly than currently."
More than 90 per cent of respondents agreed the LV= County Championship is a high quality competition and the prize they value highest, while a similar number believe it is "good preparation for players who aspire to play for England".
However, with the England and Wales Cricket Board reviewing the domestic set-up, 73.8 per cent stressed the need for a rebalance.
Porter and Ratcliffe added: "We must address the playing and travel challenges inherent in the current domestic schedule. A reduction in the volume of cricket is probably necessary to achieve this.
"We must respect the County Championship as our premier domestic competition, and only change the format of the competition if the prize is a significantly better overall schedule."
Another key find was that 98.3 per cent believe Test cricket remains the pinnacle of the sport, while the Royal London One-Day Cup "is seen as less important and of lower quality than the other competitions".
Source: PA
