Opinion

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Proposed World Test Championship reforms do little to uncomplicate matters

OSCAR RESS: According to The Daily Telegraph, plans to revamp the points system, including in-game bonus points and extra points for away wins are being discussed ahead of the new cycle

The system which would make counties work harder for their money

HUW TURBERVILL: Would the use of a grading system, based on similar criteria used in rugby league, to establish a hierarchy be a better way to keep counties on their toes?

Hold the celebrations for the 150th anniversary Test

NICK HOWSON: Australia face England in a day-night MCG Test in March 2027 to commemorate a century and a half of the longest format

Sabotage, sorrow and a silver lining: The Champions Trophy was a complicated tournament of many parts

SM HUSSAIN: India dictating logistics and bouts of wet weather meant the return of an ICC event to Pakistan was overshadowed by external factors, but was not a complete lost cause

Will Smeed stays true to his word at Somerset

NICK FRIEND: When Smeed moved onto a white-ball contract in 2023 to focus his energy on his far stronger format, he always insisted that the door to red-ball cricket remained open; two years on, he has taken the plunge

England Men's ODI journey has been a long and winding road

HUW TURBERVILL: Whether it be selection or philosophy, the approach to 50-over cricket hasn't always been completely clear or successful

What the BBC's revised county cricket coverage means for fans

NICK HOWSON: Coverage of the County Championship and the T20 Blast will remain but there is a tweaked approach for the Men's One-Day Cup

Don't destroy our festival success

DON TOPLEY: An ECB recommendation for teams not to attend festivals or play county matches any longer could have a potentially damaging effect

England's critics continue to be driven to distraction

HUW TURBERVILL: Brendon McCullum's charges have again come under scrutiny for how they spend their time between matches. Whatever your perspective, performances have been undoubtedly poor

Non-host counties must be given the latitude to pursue a T20 alternative to The Hundred

HUW TURBERVILL: As the foundations of the sport continue to shift, the 11 first-class counties on the periphery should be allowed to prosper - even if that means forming a rival competition

Second county arms race spells danger amid Hundred windfall

GEORGE DOBELL: The prospect of expanding The Hundred could lead counties into dangerous levels of expenditure

Time to stop the talent drain from Barbados to England

COLIN BENJAMIN, the former West Indies communications officer, bemoans the snapping up of talent from the Caribbean's most prosperous cricketing island

This is not what the concussion substitute rule was designed to achieve

NICK HOWSON: India benefitted from some ambiguity around the rules for "like-for-like" replacements on their way to winning the fourth T20 international in Pune

England must take long-term view on Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse to protect Ashes hopes

HUW TURBERVILL: After a stunning start to his Test career, the five-match T20 series in India should be used to rest the Surrey seamer ahead of the Ashes later this year

Steve Smith's middle-order return brings satisfying resurgence

HUW TURBERVILL: His return to form is potentially bad news for England of course, ahead of next winter's Ashes, but true cricket fans will not begrudge a man who is a massive devotee of the game