Kent opt to abstain from voting on England's new T20 tournament

24 April 2017 12:24

Kent have abstained from the vote on England's new Twenty20 tournament and plan to act as a "critical friend" to changes the club believe are now "inevitable".

The England and Wales Cricket Board wants to introduce a new, eight-team, city-based tournament from 2020 to rival similar events in India and Australia, but must change its articles of association in order to do so.

A ballot involving all 18 first-class counties, the MCC, Minor Counties Cricket Association and 21 recreational boards has been ongoing and, with only Essex and Middlesex openly rejecting the changes, the final result is seen as a fait accompli.

To pass the necessary changes, and put the tournament out for broadcasting tender, the ECB requires a minimum of 31 in favour from the 41 member organisations consulted, with a postal deadline of Tuesday and a likely announcement the following day.

Each club will receive a £1.3m annual share of the new competition's revenue in its first four years but Kent have concerns about the impact on counties without Test-status grounds.

In a club statement chief executive Jamie Clifford said: "Whilst Kent Cricket does not wish to be at odds with the ECB, the proposals for the future direction of the game as they stand are such that the club cannot actively endorse them.

"The club has therefore taken the view that an abstention is the appropriate reaction to the proposed change of ECB articles.

"We believe that our stance reflects the anxiety there is amongst non-Test match grounds - those unlikely to host new teams - that their role as active players in the future of the game is at risk.

"However, understanding that it is now inevitable that the proposals will receive the support that they need to be enacted, we hope that we might act as a 'critical friend' in their further development.

"There are far-reaching consequences to what is proposed and we hope that the plans will now evolve to the overall betterment of the whole game in England and Wales and that ECB's hoped for outcomes around the profile of the game, participation and finance are delivered.

"Everyone at the club is a passionate supporter of the game. We want it to thrive in all its forms. There is no way, as cricket lovers, that we will seek to obstruct or derail the game's future direction. You can expect that we will do all we can to make sure that it continues to flourish.

"Part of the evolution must be to ensure that county cricket is at the game's heart long into the future. To see first-class counties reduced to bit-part players will not be an acceptable outcome - no matter how high the profile of the new Twenty20 competition.

"Kent Cricket has a long, proud and rich history and our supporters should be reassured that we will do all we can to protect that."

Source: PA