This leads on to the suggestion that we should halve the number of professional teams, cut down the amount of cricket played , reward the players that do play to a level that is attractive thereby increasing the competition for places. I know from my own experience in club cricket, playing with overseas players, that they simply do not have the opportunity to play as much as we do in England. Therefore if the bowl or bat you are having could be the only one you get for a week or so, then you must focus very hard to make the most of it. This breeds a type of player who responds much better to pressured situations. So the answer is less professionals and less cricket.
Many people gain much enjoyment from watching county cricket.
Why should we deprive many counties from having professional cricket just so we might creep up the International ladder. After all in Football , the national team has won nothing for over thirty years and yet the English Football scene is flourishing. Most football supporters care far more about the performance of their local team than than do about the national team. English County cricket is steeped in tradition and is the backbone of cricket itself throughout the years. Introduce cricket to state schools.