Ashes: Replace County Championship to save England Test team - Jonathan Agnew

As someone who loves English cricket, cares for English cricket and has been involved with English cricket for most of my life, to again stand on the outfield and watch Australia celebrate another Ashes landslide is very bitter.

On every tour bar one since 1987, England have come to Australia and been hammered.

At the end, English cricket looks at itself and says «we'll do this and we'll do that», then nothing happens.

If anyone believes we can carry on doing things the same way and expect different results, they are utterly mistaken. It can't keep going on like this and it is time for a sweeping change.

How can it be done?

Firstly, you have to understand that the 18 first-class counties essentially control the domestic structure.

For that reason, I wish the 18 county chairmen had been down there on the Hobart outfield with me to see Australia celebrating. That would make them fully understand that something needs to be done.

In the four years since England were last beaten down under, the only major change to the game in England and Wales has been the introduction of The Hundred, a spurious additional format that no-one else plays.

Yes, I know it was the brainchild of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and I understand that it was done to protect the finances of the game.

But the counties get their payout from The Hundred and they make money from the T20 Blast, while at the same time getting little back from first-class matches.

Therefore, I am proposing that we take the eight teams from The Hundred, add two more, and create a new first-class competition that replaces the County Championship.

It would not involve the same players as The Hundred, but you could have the same system of a draft. In one move it ensures that the