England set to play more one-day cricket?

England's cricketers may have to play several more one-day internationals a year, and a series of Twenty20 internationals as well, according to a report in today's Sunday Times. The possibility arises as the England & Wales Cricket Board prepares to finalise a new television contract for the 2006 season onwards.

TV revenue provides the ECB with 80% of its income, and despite the undoubted strains that more one-day cricket would put on England's star players, most notably Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison, the cold economics are hard to ignore.

Last week, Duncan Fletcher admitted that England needed to play more limited-overs cricket, maybe even at the expense of a home Test, and the extra matches would certainly benefit England's preparations in the run-up to the 2007 World Cup.

For the time being, however, England are likely to retain their seven-Test format, although an expansion of the NatWest Series and Challenge tournaments would increase their one-day appearances from 13 matches to 20.

And according to the Sunday Times, the payoff for England would be a likely increase in the number of central contracts from 12 to nearer 20, funded directly by the extra television and gate receipts from these matches.