European Central Bank may scrap the toss in County Championship Division Two

However if they wanted to bat first then a traditional toss would occur, Reuters reports. If they don’t wish to take up that option the toss will take place as it always has.

Supporters at all three forms of county cricket were up on the previous year, with the Championship increasing to 513,000, a rise of 18,000.

The innovation was proposed by the ECB’s nine-man Cricket Committee – which features Director of England Cricket Andrew Strauss – as a way of discouraging home sides from preparing wickets initially helpful to seam bowlers. Too many have gone unpunished.

And, finally, with a number of “smiley” faces after the comment, he took to irony to say: “Just goes to show that the European Central Bank don’t give a toss about Div 2 cricket”.

The success of any trial will be closely monitored around the world, particularly at global level where home teams dominate test series.

Kevin Pietersen, who played in the second division of the County Championship earlier this summer, was highly critical of the standard of pitches. “That will be good for cricket in general, and not only for spinners: batsmen should also benefit, from better pitches which will lead to them facing more spin bowling; and if pitches start drier, the ball may scuff up a bit more and produce more reverse swing”.

He wrote: ‘At Chelmsford the pitches are as green as the outfield because they think that gives them the best chance of winning through guys like David Masters and Jesse Ryder.

“Ryder and Masters running in and bowling at 75mph (121km/h) on a green top simply does not help England”.

The change, passed at the ECB’s management board meeting yesterday, will be introduced on a trial basis in both divisions, as an attempt to improve the quality of pitches in domestic cricket and encourage more spin bowling.

It’s a simple question with huge consequences in a game of cricket, but one that might not be asked for much longer – at least in the English county circuit. At a couple of division two counties, that figure drops below 10% at home games.

“But another main function of the County Championship is to develop players for England. There is no substitute for this”.