ECB Unveils English Premier League Plans
The England and Wales Cricket Board has unveiled the new Twenty20 English Premier League including a major overhaul of the existing county structure.
Starting in 2010, the EPL will have two divisions of 10 teams featuring the 18 existing counties plus two overseas teams.
As a result, the Pro40 tournament will be scrapped after 2009, allowing for a total revamp of club cricket in England.
A radical proposal by Surrey chairman David Stewart and MCC chief Keith Bradshaw, which would have left out half of the counties, was rejected by the ECB although elements of the plans have been included in the new structure.
The board also agreed the 2010 season would include a 50-over competition and 16 County Championship matches in a two-division structure.
The introduction of the EPL follows the successful debut of the Indian Premier League, which has stimulated huge interest and offers the ECB the potential of attracting more television revenue.
In order not to be left behind, England agreed a five-year deal worth £50m with businessman Sir Allen Stanford where they will play a winner-takes-all Twenty20 match each year in the Caribbean.
And in June the ECB along with the Indian, Australian and South African governing bodies also unveiled plans for a Twenty20 Champions League tournament.
The EPL will be staged in June, while there will be a Twenty20 League, replacing the Pro40, in July, August and September, with games to be staged primarily on Friday nights.
English counties will have the opportunity to qualify for an international Champions League via a new version of the already existing domestic Twenty20 Cup.
