Radical, but far from barmy

County cricket and radicalism are not easy bedfellows. In September 1997, Wisden Cricket Monthly memorably splashed the word "BARMY!" across its cover, in response to Lord MacLaurin's controversial blueprint for reform - which involved three conferences, an increase in one-day matches and huge consternation in the shires.

In WCM's previous edition of that year, and in anticipation of MacLaurin's proposals (which were to be dismissed out of hand, even though the intention had been to stimulate debate), the then-editor, Tim de Lisle, said of the County Championship: "The quantity is too great, the quality too low. The Championship draws pitiful crowds ... and is ignored by television, which places it below bowls and tractor-pulling in the sports hierarchy." Six years have passed, but the words might have been written last week.

Christopher Martin-Jenkins's proposals in today's edition of The Times lack the barm of MacLaurin's blueprint, but they are equally radical - and as such they stand next to no chance of being implemented. It would be a mistake, however, for the counties to ignore them entirely. Change is surely inevitable, and CMJ's suggestions are the most sympathetic yet proposed.

Sussex's uplifting Championship victory, the first in their 164-year history, was a timely reminder of the importance of tradition in county cricket. The current trend, among certain members of the ex-England-captain brigade, is for a reduction in the number of first-class teams, but it should be added that in the very same season of MacLaurin's proposals, Sussex themselves were in turmoil. They finished bottom of the County Championship and the Sunday League, and in these harsher times, they would have been prime candidates for the axe.

Ultimately, however, cricket's future in England will be decided entirely by the success or failure of the national team - and as the international calendar balloons out of control, the need for restructuring becomes all the more urgent. But the greatest beneficiaries of CMJ's suggestions would appear to be Derbyshire, cricket's perennial paupers, whose coffers and competitiveness would be greatly aided by his proposed cap on salaries.

Far from driving the non-England-qualified players out of the shires, such a move would conceivably have the reverse effect. Such is the strength of the pound overseas, that the market is more likely to be flooded by cheap imports at the expense of homegrown talent. Moreover, the ambitious teams such as Somerset and Hampshire, who push the boat out to sign big names like Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne, would be penalised.

Scrapping the National League would be no bad thing. It served its purpose, in that it introduced a semblance of glamour to county cricket, and without it the Twenty20 Cup could never have got off the ground. But these days it captures no-one's imagination, and no-one's sponsorship money either. And the dabblings with regional cricket also deserve a closer look. It is a constant source of embarrassment that a match against a touring side doubles as an excuse for a day off. There would be far more merit in watching Wessex take on West Indies, or London scrap it out against the Aussies. And in the long run, it could provide that elusive extra step up from the county treadmill to the England squad.