Counties abandon 50-over cricket

50-over international cricket could be a thing of the past after the counties voted to dump the format at domestic level. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

• Counties vote 13-5 to drop format
• Decision moves 20- and 40-over
game to the fore

The demise of 50-over international cricket has moved closer following the first-class counties' decision to abandon domestic 50-over cricket next season in favour of one-day formats over 20 and 40 overs.

The future of the 50-over game will be reviewed by the International Cricket Council after the 2011 World Cup but the counties have refused to wait for its possible demise, voting 13-5 to abandon it forthwith. The counties will claim once again they are trailblazers – now predicting the demise of 50-over cricket just as they also launched Twenty20 before India introduced the IPL and turned it into a lucrative, high-profile event.

But the England and Wales Cricket Board believes domestic cricket should mirror as closely as possible that played at international level, and it is less than a week before England face Australia in the first of seven 50-over matches in the NatWest Series, with 10 more due against Australia and Pakistan next summer.

The argument that swung the counties was the example of South Africa, who are ranked No1 in one-day cricket despite not playing 50-over game at domestic level. That has given them the confidence to state that 40-over cricket, played under similar regulations, will be a satisfactory breeding ground for 50-over players.

Giles Clarke, who is on business in Paraguay,, the ECB chairman, said: "Coaches reported through their county votes that the leading one-day team in world cricket – South Africa – do not mirror 50 overs at domestic level and that, provided powerplays and fielding restrictions were the same as the international format, the skills required were very similar."

The Board plans to expand the amount of 50-overs cricket played by the England Lions – England's shadow side – to try to make up for their lack of experience in this format while it remains part of the international calendar.Counties have voted to limit overseas players to two in next summer's revamped domestic Twenty20 tournament, stepping back from ambitious talk of four overseas players per county in response to the global recession which has demanded a more cautious financial outlook.

Clarke was gung-ho about the decision, saying: "There has never been a better time for English-qualified players to make a name for themselves in a tournament creating great interest."

Twenty20 will be played in North and South divisions of nine, with the top four in each pool qualifying for the knockout stages. At 40-overs level, counties will be split into three groups of seven, with the 18 first-class counties likely to be supplanted by Ireland, Scotland and a Minor Counties X1.

There will be much delight – tinged with suspicion, because the details are yet to be finalized – at the ECB's announcement that "the LV county championship has been given priority in the fixture programme". It is likely that championship matches will take priority between Monday-Thursday, finally bringing a more coherent pattern to the fixture list.

England will host three countries next season. Bangladesh will play two npower Tests and three ODIs between 27 May and 22 June, Australia will play five ODIs between 22 June and 3 July and Pakistan will play four Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals from 29 July to 21 September. Australia will also face Pakistan in two T20s and two Tests from 5-25 July.