Lancashire’s awkward squad ready to battle for county cricket’s future

As England and South Africa roll up to Old Trafford for the second Test, there is more on Lancashire members’ minds than the near sell-outs of the first three days, or the recent releases of sewage into the nearby River Mersey.

The last Test scheduled for Old Trafford, in September 2021, ended before it had begun in an atmosphere of some acrimony, after India pulled the plug following fears of a Covid outbreak in the camp. The 2022 Test also takes place with discontent bubbling – though this time the focus is on the ECB’s high-performance review [HPR] led by Sir Andrew Strauss, and its possible repercussions for the County Championship.

A preliminary report from the HPR is due to land on county chief executives’ desks on Thursday – the first day of the Test – before the first set of regional consultation meetings on Friday. The report will include all the group’s workings, plus broad-brush recommendations for the future of the game, which will then be put out to further consultation over the next month before coming back to the HPR. They will then produce a final set of recommendations – to be voted on by the 18 county chairs at a meeting on 20 September.

Lancashire members, a legendary awkward squad at the best of times, have been at the forefront of a nationwide campaign to protect the County Championship in pretty much its current form – a view supported by the England Test captain, Ben Stokes. In an interview with the Telegraph. Stokes reiterated that there should be no reduction in the number of Championship games – currently 14 a year – though the HPR is believed to propose a cut to 12 or even 10.

The Lancashire Action Group, a somewhat controversial band who have been an irritant under Old Trafford’s skin for a