Is the ECB's decision to downgrade its 50-over competition logical or nonsense? Our writers have their say

HUW TURBERVILL, THOMAS BLOW and SAM MORSHEAD discuss the news that the Royal London One-Day Cup is to become a development tournament from 2020

HUW TURBERVILL - What was the alternative?

Even the harshest critic must admit that the ECB have an incredibly difficult task squeezing everything in – Tests, the County Championship, the Blast, the Royal London One-Day Cup, The Hundred.

Of course critics of The Hundred will say it is not needed. “Forget it.” On the basis that it is happening, and the counties have signed up for it for 2020-24, that is a non-runner though. And with the amount of money the ECB are spending on it, of course they must give it the best possible chance of succeeding.

So what else gives?

If it is a choice between four-day cricket and the 50-over competition to be given its own window away from the Hundred, my preference would be for the longer game.

Test cricket – in England – is still the greatest, most satisfying format. It still attracts good crowds. It is worth protecting. It needs as strong as possible County Championship to feed it. That needs the best players available.

That is not to say that this new 50-over competition will be worthless, or bereft of entertainment.

Cricket aficionados like looking at exciting young players coming through. Look at Surrey. OK players like Will Jacks and Ollie Pope will probably be picked for The Hundred, but then talented youngsters like Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson will be given their chance by the county.

The other thing that might appeal to members is for the 50-over matches to bring the outgrounds into play again.

This summer we are seeing Championship matches at the Isle of Wight, Welbeck Colliery, York and Radlett. In the Royal London Cup there are fixtures at Gosforth, Eastbourne and Grantham. That has created genuine intrigue and excitement among fans.

It is not ideal, and the ECB may have to think again ahead of the 2023 World Cup. But what was the realistic alternative?

^{Fans fill Lord's for the 2018 Royal London One-Day Cup final}

THOMAS BLOW - It has angered fans, but needs to be looked at positively

Here we go again. Another day, another decision that infuriates county purists.

Gordon Hollins, the ECB’s new county cricket managing director, has admitted the Royal London One-Day Cup will be relegated to a “development competition” from 2020 onwards.

He delivered the news in a Partridge-esc style; saying he wants the public to see cricket as “cool” and “sexy.” As a member of The Hundred’s target demographic, I can confirm there is nothing cool about a middle-aged sport administrator using the word sexy.

Instead, it felt like another unnecessary insult towards county cricket. He presented the current domestic set-up as outdated, boring and exclusive to current fans. 

But while Hollins statement was cringeworthy and awkward, county fans should not be looking negatively at the ECB’s decision.

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Firstly, the move will help more young players play county cricket. Because The Hundred is set to run alongside the cup, those who aren’t expected to get a lucrative gig in the new franchise – such as Surrey’s Jamie Smith, Middlesex’s Tom Lace and Worcestershire’s Ben Twohig – will be able to play more competitive matches.

There is also no guarantee that top county pros will be playing in The Hundred. This will help those coming through the ranks to gain invaluable experience and ensures the tournament maintains a degree of quality.

Secondly, we cannot forget that the cup has been increasingly marginalised for years now. Just five years ago, the competition ran between July and September. But it’s currently side-lined to the first two months of the season.

And this marginalisation hasn’t just been occurring in recent seasons. Thirty years ago, there were three List A competitions in English domestic cricket. Yet over time, these tournaments have been phased out.

So, in reality, how much more can the cup be downgraded? Hollins has only confirmed something we’ve all subconsciously known for some time.

Rather than be frustrated and angry by this news, we should be focusing on the positives. The cup will still feature 18 counties facing off, top young talent and seasoned professionals, loyal supporters and a showpiece final.

As long as county fans can stay interested in the famous old format, then it will live on for years to come – irrespective of ECB marginalisation.  

Kent's Darren Stevens celebrates a wicket

SAM MORSHEAD - Disrespectful... or progress?

I'm split.

I love the Royal London One-Day Cup - I really do, this is no meagre platitude - and the idea of the competition being relegated to also-ran status, in this year of all years, tastes far too much like cork.

It seems baffling to me that the country which recalibrated its domestic structure and international focus to create a collision course for itself with its home World Cup, can be so at ease switching its priorities even before said World Cup has taken place.

And, what's more, England may well be world champions in 50-over cricket come the start of the 2020 summer. World champions without a top-level tournament of their own. *shrugs*.

All of that leaves me confused, and just a little angry.

Yet the ECB's logic, when approached from a different angle, is sound enough. The Royal London has a negligible effect on England's ODI side as it is - I would argue that the current coach and captain, the IPL, the Big Bash and several other international teams have had more of an impact since 2015 - and after this summer there will be four years to wait for the next World Cup anyway.

Plus, given the governing body have decided to insert a fourth format into the summer - the cricketing equivalent of stuffing a guinea fowl inside a pigeon inside a chicken inside a goose - something had to give. 

But it also feels a tad disrespectful to those county members who enjoy the tournament, and the history of limited-overs cricket in England and Wales (be that 40, 45, 50, 55 or 60 overs), to downgrade its importance in favour of the shot-in-the-dark Hundred.

As I said, I'm split. And this fence is surprisingly comfortable.

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