The Poms have stuffed it up

OK, so the Aussies have cleaned up and won the Ashes. No-one, not even blind Freddy can dispute who the better and more dominant team has been. Obviously there have been some extenuating circumstances. Injuries and importantly captaincy continuity have hindered the Poms, but hey, that’s part of the game!

Lack of planning also seems to be a factor and continuance of arguably the weakest first class breeding ground is doing England no favours.

I remember about 18 months ago when the powers that be in the UK got extremely excited about introducing two divisions of County cricket. That will solve our problems they said, and strengthen the competition.

Wrong! Nothing has changed. The counties are not playing strength versus strength and are simply continuing as before but with two separate tables. Nice one guys.

The only solution to this sub-standard competition is to scrap all current structures and go regional. This way the number of teams can be reduced dramatically and subsequently the standards are bound to improve.

This will have a number of repercussions within each county but as I see it, for the future of their game, they don’t have much choice.

The gulf between county cricket and Test cricket these days is enormous. You only have to look at the performances of those new faces introduced to gauge a fairly accurate assessment of current proceedings. Simply put, they looked totally out of their depth. OK, it doesn’t help that they were up against the masters of mind games, but hey, that’s part of the game!

As I am writing this article, I have one predominant thought. This is a warning for the United Cricket Board of South Africa and I hope the relevant people read and digest.

Strength versus strength in a domestic competition breeds quality players, sharpens the skill levels of individuals and attracts attention from viewers, spectators and - the lifeblood at this level - sponsors.

Think about it. What would you rather watch? This coming season’s competition as it stands, or roll back the times and park your backside in anticipation of one of those classic Transvaal / Western Province encounters of yesteryear.

The Poms have stuffed it up – let's make sure we don’t.