Andrew Gale calls for reform to T20 Blast to include city-based franchises

Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale believes the domestic Twenty20 competition needs reforming to prevent English cricket being "left behind".

The 18 first-class counties currently contest the NatWest T20 Blast - with group games played mostly on Friday evenings from mid-May to late July and this year's Finals Day taking place on August 29.

But Gale says a shorter, smaller competition between city-based franchises, along the lines of the Indian Premier League or Australia's Big Bash League, is the way to go.

He wrote on Twitter: "How good is the big bash, we have to do something with our comp otherwise we'll get left behind. Gotta inspire the kids.

"Franchise system would work in England. 10 cities, over 3 week period, straight after IPL. World's best players, bigger crowds."

Commit

I don’t think we have quite got it right in England. I like the Big Bash format with four, five or six weeks of cricket every night.

Such a move would effectively mean his Yorkshire team in their current form ceasing to compete in Twenty20 cricket, but Gale had one more left-field suggestion for the competition.

"Be good if 2 big bash teams played in our comp and 2 English teams played in their comp," he wrote.

Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff would also like to see the T20 Blast revamped to something akin to the Big Bash, a competition in which he is currently featuring for Brisbane Heat.

“I don’t think we have quite got it right in England," Flintoff said while on a commentary stint in Australia. "We went for Friday nights throughout last summer and I think we play too many games.

"Overseas players cannot commit to a full summer and we haven’t attracted the crowds, so I like the Big Bash format with four, five or six weeks of cricket every night.”