ECB report puts pressure on county academies

The ECB is considering a report that calls for the number of county academies to be cut. The report, titled "County Talent Pathway", recommends the creation of "regional training hubs as opposed to county programmes" as part of a plan to "define a new cricket pathway for English cricket".

It also suggests that the creation of eight new teams for the relaunched domestic T20 competition, planned for 2020, "may impact on the future structure" of the game in England and Wales and calls upon the ECB to "reorganise the geographical structure of county cricket to ensure open and fair access to the cricket pathway".

The suggestions are part of a document (obtained by ESPNcricinfo) compiled by independent consultants at the request of the ECB after dialogue with all 18 academy directors, coaches from the Emerging Players Pathway and ECB personnel. It will shortly be sent to all the first-class counties for feedback.

The report states that such a rearrangement would provide greater consistency of talent development and improve the access to "high quality coaching and world class facilities" for players who may live "at a distance from a first-class county." Such a system would end the "postcode lottery" that current exists in the talent pathway, according to the report.

The report also suggests some centralisation of services, such as strength and conditioning, physio and psychological support, while it calls for greater emphasis on white-ball cricket - "predominantly T20" - for younger players. If implemented, the report would almost certainly result in job losses.

The move comes as the ECB has proposed a change to the salary cap in domestic cricket. In the past, the cap has been based on a level that allows each county to spend 2% of the ECB's income on player salaries. If the new arrangements are agreed - and there appears every chance they will be - the new cap will be based upon the consumer price index rate of inflation.

While that might, at first glance, appear a minor difference, it comes as the value of broadcast deals is rising significantly. As a result, the Professional Cricketers' Association is known to have concerns over the move, fearing it will prevent the richest clubs (the cap is relevant to few of the first-class counties) from attracting the world's best players or rewarding those they have as they see fit. The players' union is also concerned that some players at smaller clubs are not paid sufficiently.