There has been much speculation about the role and effectiveness of the County system in the last month. In some quarters concerns have been raised about County Cricketers getting it too easy.
International cricket provides the money and interest in English cricket at the highest level.
With the leading county players being ignored for England selection whilst the Australians were dominating this summer s Test series, the role of county cricket and county cricketers have been brought under the spotlight again. The current favourite, the Australian system, makes for an interesting comparison. A player can persevere as long as he wishes, but the pay structure of state cricket is designed to give them a subsistence income in order to fulfil their potential without distraction, but it is not enough for an unambitious man to forge a career out of the sport at First-class level. The whole system is geared so that the real money is earned at the top of the game and the incentive for all players is to aspire to that level. At the current exchange rate that is about 35,000 for the best state players a comparable basic salary for a county capped player.