Challenges of Fixture Congestion to Persist in 2024 Despite Player Concerns

Despite concerns from over 80% of players about the impact on their physical health, there are no plans to significantly reduce the amount of men's county cricket played in 2025.

A Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) survey at the start of this season found that the majority of players believe the schedule is not fit for purpose, but the only changes for next season will be cosmetic. Each county will still play a minimum of 14 matches in the County Championship, eight in the Metro Bank Cup and 14 in the Vitality T20 Blast.

The PCA are still pushing for incremental changes which would see T20 fixtures more spread out across a week to reduce the number of tight turnarounds, and for uniform three-day gaps between Championship matches. "There's definitely room for improvement in 2025 compared to 2024," Daryl Mitchell, the PCA's interim chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo.

"The schedule can definitely be managed better," Mitchell said. "Certainly the Blast was very much looked at through a commercial lens, trying to squeeze as many games as possible into Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Utilising the majority of the week is probably the way forward, trying to spread them out to give that time for recovery, travel and preparation."

The main point of discussion for the 2025 schedule has been around the T20 Blast, and when the knockout stages should be held. In 2023, they took place straight after the group stages in July, allowing counties to keep hold of their overseas player; this year, they will take place in September, giving clubs six weeks to sell tickets for home quarter-finals.

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This year's Blast schedule was described as "ridiculous" by Kent's T20 captain Sam Billings, who said that staging the final two months after the group stages "just does not make sense". But ESPNcricinfo understands that T20 Finals Day is highly likely to remain in September next year, most likely overlapping with England's white-ball series against South Africa.

"Everyone's in agreement that the schedule isn't perfect, is it?" Mitchell said. "The ECB and the counties - particularly the directors of cricket that I've spoken to - are on board with what we've said. I don't think players in general would actually want a significant reduction in cricket, maybe just a few days here and there… we're looking for small, incremental change."

The ECB announced England's international fixtures for the 2025 summer on Thursday, with incoming men's tours from Zimbabwe, India, West Indies and South Africa, and women's tours from West Indies and India. The Hundred will be played in August, starting immediately after the fifth Test against India and running until the end of the month.