1 The need for a new T20 competition to rival IPL
There is a huge desire for a revamped Twenty20 competition to rival the IPL and Australia’s Big Bash as the pre-eminent Twenty20 tournament in the world. An English Premier League would likely be an eight- or 10-team tournament, meaning that smaller counties would miss out (and likely be paid for the inconvenience). But a 75% majority vote among the 18 counties will be required to get it off the ground – can Graves make a convincing enough case?
2 Can cricket win back some free-to-air TV coverage?
The ECB’s broadcasting deal with Sky runs until 2019 so renegotiations will fall in Graves’s five-year term in office. In this he will be greatly aided by the ECB chief executive, Tom Harrison, who in his previous role as head of cricket for the sports marketing agency IMG helped broker broadcasting deals for the IPL. The big question will be whether any cricket returns to free‑to‑air TV, something many feel could help safeguard the future of the game but that is problematic because of the reliance on Sky’s money.
3 Find a way to give counties greater financial security
Graves knows all about the financial difficulties facing counties, having propped up Yorkshire with around £10m of his own money during his time as chairman at Headingley. He will have to examine how counties can be given greater financial security and generate cash for themselves. It is a difficult challenge – Glamorgan, for example, had £4.4m of debt written off by Cardiff council in March.
4 Grassroots game needs greater participation
The ECB has set its sights on re-establishing cricket as the No2 team sport in the country so the worrying trend at grassroots level needs addressing. Participation levels fell by nearly 65,000 between the ages of 14 and 65 in 2014. Might a return to terrestrial TV help grow the game? Can the national side recapture the public’s imagination as they did in 2005? Or is investment in facilities key?
5 Will County Championship return to a single division?
Such was the scope of the ECB’s “strategy conversation summary” document in February, the very fabric of the county game in the country appears up for debate: the idea of the County Championship returning to one division featuring three-day games was floated. There is a definite commitment, though, to quality over quantity.
6 Should 50-over contest be squeezed out?
Trapped between the joyous thrash of Twenty20 and the old-school charms of the County Championship, the 50-over competition – currently the Royal London Cup played largely in the space of four weeks in July and August but rumbling on into mid-September – is looking increasingly squeezed. A 40-over alternative has been proposed but that seems illogical if the World Cup remains in its 50-over format. Either way, its future direction and place in the crowded schedule needs consideration.
7 How can England catch up in time for next World Cup?
Very much linked to the future of the domestic 50-over game is the need for a vast improvement the next time the World Cup rolls around, in 2019. England are, as ever, playing catch-up in the format and the tournament in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year starkly displayed just how much catching up there is to be done.
8 ECB must learn the bitter lessons of 1999
Apart from being successful on the field, with England and Wales hosting the tournament (and the Champions Trophy in 2017), the ECB will be determined to have a successful World Cup off the field. The shadow of the 1999 tournament – blighted by an unwieldy format, bad weather, organisational issues and England’s early exit – remains fresh in the memory.
9 Women’s game needs lift at domestic level
Women’s cricket took a step forward last year with the introduction of full-time professional contracts for England players but the game at domestic and grassroots level remains a work in progress. “We’ve certainly got to get women involved,” said Graves. “I’m sad to say it but even in Yorkshire we have only got 27 women’s teams, which is pathetic. We have something like 750 clubs in Yorkshire – it is not good enough.”
10 It may be time to get tough with youngsters
In his time as the ECB’S managing director, Paul Downton started work on a review of the structure at the National Cricket Academy and that work is likely to be continued. That could involve a reassessment of the relationship between the development programmes at Loughborough and the counties and also a toughening of the working environment for young players.
