‘ECB needs to introduce franchise competition for red-ball cricket’ – Kevin Pietersen’s suggestions to bring back England’s glory days in Test cricket

Former batter Kevin Pietersen reckoned that the ECB should introduce franchise competitions in red-ball cricket to help England raise their standards in Test cricket. The Three Lions had a rough time in the purest format last year as Joe Root racked up the highest number of losses by an English skipper in Test cricket, surpassing Alastair Cook.

The Brits are also in dire straits in the ongoing edition of the Ashes, having lost matches in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne. After three losses on the trot in the high-profile series, England are staring down the barrel with two matches left.

Pietersen said that through franchise first-class tournaments, the English players would also get to rub shoulders with the best cricketers in the world. He also lauded the England board for introducing the Hundred, which was played in the men’s and women’s formats.

It would be a marketable, exciting competition, says Kevin Pietersen

“In the Hundred, the ECB have actually produced a competition with some sort of value. They now need to introduce a similar franchise competition for red-ball cricket, whereby the best play against the best every single week,” Pietersen said in his column for Betway.

“They would make money available to attract some of the best overseas players in the world and the top English players would benefit from playing alongside them.

“It would be a marketable, exciting competition, which would drive improvement in the standard and get people back through the gates for long-form cricket,” he stated.

Pietersen, one of England’s most prolific batters during his heydays, said that the ECB should try and implement changes in their Test setup after the horror show in the Ashes.

“We need to produce lucrative, high-quality, interesting competitions that reward and improve the best players. This could be one. This Ashes defeat needn’t be a total failure if they [the ECB] can use it to implement proper change for the Test side,” Pietersen added.

After losing the Boxing Day Test by an innings and 14 runs, England would next face Australia in the fourth Test, starting Wednesday, January 5 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Bellerive Oval in Hobart will host the fifth Test from January 14.