sport news PAUL NEWMAN: Shame on the ECB for undermining the brilliant Vitality Blast trends now
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Why would you actively seek to destroy one of the most successful innovations of the last 20 years? Why would you completely undermine a competition that has revolutionised county cricket and become more and more popular with each passing year?
For that is what the ECB have done with the Vitality Blast. That is what they have done to the Twenty20 game they introduced to the world but have handled so badly they have now invented a shorter, inferior format in the hope that will catch on instead.
There is no other explanation for this year's scheduling of what has long since become the most important and lucrative competition for the 18 counties, culminating in this week's Blast quarter-finals.
The ECB undermined the Vitality Blast, a competition which revolutionised country cricket
First came group games outside of school holidays and at an early point in the season, almost as if the ECB wanted to make it harder for a young audience to attend.
Now what should be four showpiece quarter-finals this week have been scheduled up against England's T20s with India, almost guaranteeing they will be completely overshadowed. And, most significantly, devoid of England players.
The first T20 meeting between heavyweights Surrey and Yorkshire should have been a showpiece occasion, the very best
