The T20 Blast remains English domestic cricket's hottest ticket... but for how much longer?

NICK HOWSON: Record-breaking crowds and a thrilling Finals Day made the 17th edition of the 20-over competition a thriller. Why then, are the ECB tinkering with a winning formula?

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Ticker tape was still being swept away. The sound of fireworks were still reverberating around the country. And hangovers remained. England's grip on their first-ever 50-over World Cup was barely 100 hours old when the T20 Blast began back at the scene of their momentous triumph against New Zealand.

While the ECB's scheduling of country cricket often appears to have been devised using blindfolds and a tombola, those lurking in the dungeons of the governing body pulled out the winning ticket this summer. Taking place just four days after the World Cup, its position in the calendar would help build on the success of Eoin Morgan's team and making this summer truly one to remember.

The opening week highlighted the brilliance of the timing. A massive 65,000 advanced tickets were sold for matches, the most during any seven-day period in the tournament's 17-year history. All-in-all, 894,000 fans attended matches in the group stage and quarter-finals. Finals Day meanwhile sold out in May.

And the public didn't just vote with their feet; their voices could be heard too. The group phase was dominated with a feeling of goodwill which eclipsed previous editions. The Blast remains a destination for an evening out on the tiles, but there seemed to be genuine enthusiasm for the sport on show.

NOW READ: Finals Day might not be to everyone's fancy but it is fun, frantic and genuinely fan-friendly

With the interest in the competition only growing, the Blast naturally remains a key revenue stream for the 18 counties. However, despite the sheer volume of advanced ticket sales, the weather thwarted attempts to maximise profits and grow their fanbase.

Twenty-three games in all were lost to inclement conditions. Essex saw three of their home games perish, with chairman John Faragher admitting that cancellations would have a “big impact” financially. Of all the formats the counties need and want protecting, this is surely top of their list of priorities - particularly those who have been ring-fenced from The Hundred.

Despite the weather's best efforts, Essex were still able to navigate their way to Finals Day, taking place for the seventh straight year at Edgbaston. Defending champions Worcestershire joined them, along with Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, who became the 18th and final county side to appear at the showcase.

With the atmosphere as raucous as ever and the competition equally as fierce, the foundations for a stellar Finals Day were built. Worcestershire defied the odds to knock out Notts in the first semi-final before Derbyshire were thumped by Essex in a one-sided contest.

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The turnout through the Blast hit record-breaking levels

The Eagles had won five out of six games to reach this stage and with all the momentum behind them, they upstaged the reigning champions.

It was a tale of the old and the new. Dan Lawrence, 22, took two wickets and Simon Harmer three as the Rapids were restricted to 145 for 9 on a dry surface on which scoring was a grind. In the chase, 64 was still required from 41 balls when Lawrence was dismissed, to leave Essex 82 for 5. But two old-stagers led Essex to the first half of a historic double. Ravi Bopara and Harmer secured the final ball success thanks to a 19-run partnership from eight balls. English cricket had produced another finale fitting of the occasion.

Proof of the Blast's status as one of the premier T20 competitions around can be found in the England touring party to New Zealand. Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson, Lewis Gregory, Pat Brown and Tom Banton have all found success in the format in recent years and are all part of the conversation ahead of the World T20.

Given the unparalleled success of the 2019 tournament, it is typical that the ECB plan to tinker with the competition. Instead of a mid-July start in the fulcrum of the summer, as with previous years, the Blast will begin four weeks earlier and is replaced in the schedule by The Hundred. The final will take place on September 5, a full six weeks after the preliminary phase has concluded.

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Pat Brown's Blast performances have caught the eye of England

It is unlikely that the hugely divisive 100-ball competition will have an immediate impact on the Blast - priority tickets for Finals Day have already sold out - but it will be intriguing what effects are evident. The ECB hopes The Hundred will turn new fans onto their existing formats, but any benefits the T20 competition might enjoy will surely have to wait.

Though the wildcard draw will offer a route for players who star in the Blast into The Hundred, you wonder which competition will become the premier pathway into the big-paying franchise competitions such as the IPL or the Big Bash. How overseas players treat the competitions is also uncertain. How many will commit to both and which will be prioritised?

The ECB should be hailed for the timing of this year's Blast, but they are threatening to undo much of that progress next summer with the indulgence of The Hundred. A winning formula is being changed, and given how much the 18 counties cherish the competition and its financial rewards, there will be concern about how future calendars will be structured. The £1.3 million the ECB will pay the counties annually to accept The Hundred might not be enough of a sweetener.

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The ECB are set to tinker with country cricket's premier cash cow

The evidence all formats could be negatively affected by The Hundred is not yet clear. The competition will still be bat-on-ball cricket, albeit with one or two variations and innovations. Purists objected strongly to T20 during its inception in 2003 but it is now the most thriving format around. Opinions can change.

With the ECB keen on giving the red-ball an enhanced position in the scheduled - though we might have to wait until 2021 for that to become fully apparent - will the Blast follow the One-Day Cup in slipping down the pecking order?

Somewhat perversely, following the most successful year in its history, the Blast faces an uncertain future. Can interest levels be sustained? Is a new position in the calendar shrewd or stupid? And is a challenge to its status on the horizon?

After such a glorious season, these are questions which really shouldn't need asking.

Comments

Posted by Marc Evans on 02/10/2019 at 00:40

It's an odd one this, as I can't think of any other sport that seems intent on shooting itself in the foot by abandoning formats of the game that seem to be relatively healthy, for even more gimmicks. First we spend years sacrificing our test potential to win the 50 over World Cup, which now appears under threat, then we look to create a new form of the 20-20 to replace a tournament in the Blast that seems similarly healthy, with good attendances. Will be great to see more cricket on terrestrial telly, but why can't these channels be induced to carry the existing formats? We saw with the success of the Women's footie this summer how a sport's profile can be lifted this way.

Posted by Mike on 01/10/2019 at 10:34

Why do you call the Blast cricket's "premier cash cow"? The ECB said the TV value for £5m, when claiming their new tournament was worth £35m. 900k tickets at £20 is another £20m. The SKY deal is £220m, so from these numbers something like £180m comes from International cricket. The Blast isn't remotely self supporting financially. And while the crows figures sound good, they're around the same average level (stripping out the Oval and Lords games) as Football League Div 2, the old 4th division.

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