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Franchise-style T20 competition can be positive for all English cricket, says Rob Key

Chris Gayle and Aaron Finch of the Renegades walk through flames to open the batting during the Big Bash League
Image: Rob Key believes an English equivalent could match the Big Bash and the IPL

After the ECB revealed their plans for a new domestic Twenty20 competition, an English equivalent of the IPL or the Big Bash appears inevitable. Rob Key considers the impact such a tournament could have on the county game, the England team and the development of the sport in the UK...

There has been a lot said about the ECB's proposals for a new T20 competition and the thing I don't get about it is, that like anything nowadays, people seem to think that once you've gone down a road, you can never go back. Well, I've always thought it is worth trying. You've got a bit of a no lose bet, I think.

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You can look to upgrade your current system, hopefully get more people watching it, create more of a buzz about, bring more money into the game - all of these things - and then if after a while it doesn't work out, you can always go back to what you've already got.

I've never quite understood the doom-mongers who see this as the end for the counties and county cricket, I don't think that's the case. If anything, it might get more people watching the game and create more interest around it and I think it is a positive step forward to get cricket back into the consciousness of the general public in this country.

As far as whether it will be as good as the Big Bash or the IPL? Potentially, yes, I think it can be. You've got some great grounds over here, if you can get the players over and it's played in a small block, I see no reason why it can't match those tournaments.

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At a look at English cricket's plans to launch a T20 competition that could rival the Indian Premier League

England are one of the best T20 sides in the world at the moment, we've got some superstars of our own and I also think our local players should be as good, if not better, than those I have seen overseas at times. In a decent summer, around the school holidays, it could be brilliant. We're talking about domestic cricket being at the forefront of sport in this country.

The beauty of these Twenty20 leagues is that they're not in competition with each other. They don't run alongside each other and, generally, players now have the opportunity to play in any of them. If you're a T20 specialist, you can potentially go and play in every one of these leagues, if you get picked up. There is no conflict of interest.

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You can play in the Big Bash, then go on to the IPL and then you'd be able to play in the English T20 competition. All of these leagues can help feed off each other and the success of one can rub off on another.

Test matches being scheduled for during this new tournament has been seen as an issue and, of course, in the perfect world you want the likes of Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jos Buttler playing all the time. But this happens with the Big Bash as well, Test cricket runs alongside it - it just becomes part of it.

ST JOHN'S, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA - MARCH 05:  Ben Stokes of England celebrates with teammates after dismissing Shai Hope of the West Indies during the 2nd On
Image: Ben Stokes is one England player who may miss out on the competition due to Test commitments

Also, it's not like we're used to seeing these England stars play domestic T20 regularly now so we're not really losing anything from what we've got already. Hopefully they get the chance to play the odd game but even if they can't, you should have superstars from around the world. It's not like they are playing all the time in the Blast and now we won't see them. It also shows that Test cricket will still be the pinnacle.

As for the future of the T20 Blast, at the minute, I think you do still need it to continue - you can't just take it away from the counties. That might be one step too far. And having it before the new competition, if I put myself in the mind-set of a player, then I would be massively motivated in that competition because there is a chance, with the wildcard picks, that if you have a good Blast that you could find yourself in one of those eight teams - that'll be a goal for everyone.

In a way, there is more on it for the players than there ever was before. As it stands, you play with the hoping of trying to play for England, but, with the new eight-team competition, that is another rung on the ladder.

Northamptonshire Steelbacks players celebrate with the trophy after winning the T20 Final
Image: The T20 Blast is set to continue despite the ECB's planned eight-team competition

I still think people will go to their county games at Canterbury, Somerset and places like that, almost to try and show extra support for that competition. People will think the Blast is degraded but as a player you've got to be excited about the chance to show your ability.

You could be absolutely nowhere at the start of the season, then all of a sudden you have a good start to the year, score loads of runs in T20 and you find yourself involved in the revamped T20 in one of those eight teams. For that reason, I don't see it being downgraded too much.

One downside is that the 50-over competition running at the same time will be hindered by this new T20 league, there will be no exposure for it. But then I've never felt that domestic 50-over cricket was the be-all and end-all for England to be successful in ODI cricket.

There was a period where we didn't play 50-over cricket at all, we played 40-over games and that was pretty good.

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The 50-over competition will really become a second-class citizen to the T20 tournament but the counter to that is: is that the worst thing in the world? England will still produce good 50-over cricketers, I don't think it will have as much of an impact on the England team as people might think.

One of the biggest things we've seen in the IPL is the pressure you are put under and the people you play with. If we can recreate that here, I think it will have a knock-on effect for English cricket at every level, and in every format.

It will be preparing you and teaching you to make decisions under pressure in big games. Walking out at one of the big grounds, with a packed house, in a big quarter-final or semi-final can only help you if you go on to Test or ODI cricket, which is a big positive.

Since playing in these franchise tournaments, Kevin Pietersen and others have spoken about being able to pick up the phone and speak to the likes of Rahul Dravid. It's been a while, but when I started you had the best overseas players in the world in county cricket and you learnt more off them than any coach or anyone else, just by watching.

6 Aug 1998:  Wasim Akram of Lancashire holds the trophy after winning the match between Lancashire v Derbyshire in the 1998 Natwest Trophy Final
Image: World class overseas players such as Wasim Akram used to be regulars on the county circuit

So the next generation, who will get to experience that, will be very lucky. Surrey have had Kumar Sangakkara but otherwise there have not been those absolutely world class players over here for a period of time for young players to be exposed to, so I think that will be a massive upside to it.

For me, T20 was always the fun element of the game and it was there to help other forms of the game, get young people involved and think "you know, cricket is all right" and they want to play. It's like Wimbledon in that you never have more people playing tennis in this country than during the two weeks of Wimbledon.

You want this to have that sort of impact and get more people hooked on cricket, smashing balls around and then you can maybe introduce them to the other formats. The bigger you can make that, the better really, and it has the chance to make domestic cricketers household names.

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