Global Information2024 County Championship information
| Dates | 5 April 2024 – 29 September 2024 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | England and Wales Cricket Board |
| Cricket format | First-class cricket (4 days) |
| Tournament format(s) | League system |
| Participants | 18 |
| Matches | 126 |
The 2024 County Championship (referred to as the Vitality County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the 124th County Championship cricket season in England and Wales.[1] As in 2023, Division One had ten teams and Division Two had eight teams. The season started on 5 April and is scheduled to finish on 29 September 2024.[2][3][4] Surrey are the defending champions, having repeated their success in securing the 2022 title.[5][6]
For the first time, the use of hybrid pitches is being permitted during the 2024 season, despite previous concerns that they do not deteriorate enough during a four-day match and are therefore suitable only for limited overs cricket.[7] The number of points for a draw has been increased from five to eight, as was the case from 2019 to 2022.[7][8]
Following a trial during the 2023 County Championship, when the traditional English Dukes ball was replaced for two rounds by the less bowler-friendly Australian Kookaburra, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided that four rounds of the 2024 season would be played with the latter. The motivation behind this was to develop bowlers with the skills to compete at an international level, give spinners more of a role at the beginning of the season, and encourage batters to score quickly.[9]
After the Kookaburra had been used during the first two rounds of the 2024 season, England men's team director Rob Key hailed the experiment a success. Spin bowlers contributed 37% (1035.4 overs) of deliveries in the opening two rounds, compared with 17% (767.3 overs) in 2023, and took 135 (72 more) wickets. Batters hit as many double centuries as in whole of the previous season, and in the second round accumulated 10 scores of 150 or more, which was a record for a set of matches starting on the same day. However, all but one of the 19 games played in the opening two rounds ended in a draw.[10][11] In the second round, all matches were drawn for just the third time when all counties have played simultaneously,[12] and matches were criticised for being dull.[13] Key's comments themselves "caused something of a furore".[14] Writing in Wisden Cricket Monthly, Laurence Booth noted that using the Kookaburra on spongy pitches during one of the UK's wettest springs was "like mixing oil with water – and expecting nectar", but pointed to the first-round performance of seam bowler Sam Cook in explaining Key's perspective.[15]
In research carrier out by the Professional Cricketers' Association prior to the start of the season, concerns were expressed about players' welfare due to the congested schedule (including the T20 Blast, One-Day Cup, and The Hundred).[16][17]
- ^ "County cricket schedule 2024: Full County Championship fixtures list, dates & venues". Wisden. London. 2 April 2024. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "County Championship 2024 Champions Surrey to start season against Lancashire". BBC Sport. London. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ "LV= County Championship 2024 fixtures". Sky Sports. London. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ Miller, Andrew (23 November 2023). "ECB defends 'Super September' as 2024 County fixtures put season climax in spotlight". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ Scott, Ged (28 September 2023). "County Championship: Surrey secure title for second successive year". BBC Sport. London. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ Aldred, Tanya (28 September 2023). "Surrey's dominance of unhip County Championship rewards their passion". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b Aldred, Tanya (23 November 2023). "Hybrid pitches to be used for first time in 2024 County Championship season". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ "County Championship points system tweaked to encourage aggressive batting". ESPNcricinfo. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Rob Key: English cricket would be better off if we used the Kookaburra all the time". Wisden. London. 17 April 2024. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Martin, Ali (19 April 2024) [16 April 2024]. "England's Rob Key backs Kookaburra ball for full-time use in county cricket". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Howells, Kevin (host) (18 April 2024). "County Cricket: Should Kookaburra be here to stay?". Test Match Special (Podcast). London: BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ Ehantharajah, Vithushan & Roller, Matt (16 April 2024). "English cricket's Kookaburra experiment: 'Fantastic' or 'worst decision ever'?". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Ammon, Elizabeth (18 April 2024). "More spin but 'dreadfully dull' – backlash against Kookaburra experiment". The Times. London. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ James, Steve (30 April 2024). "Down with dibbly-dobblers – county bowlers need real pace to make step up". The Times. London. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ Booth, Laurence (May 2024). "Kookaburra clips seamers' wings but meets Key's brief". Wisden Cricket Monthly. No. 77. London. pp. 20–21.
- ^ "Players fear for welfare amid schedule concerns" (Press release). London: Professional Cricketers' Association. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Shemilt, Stephan (6 May 2024). "Root leads calls for changes to domestic schedule". BBC Sport. London. Retrieved 6 May 2024.