40-over cricket not ideal - Strauss

Andrew Strauss, the England captain, has expressed his reservation over the decision by counties to scrap the 50-over game in the domestic circuit.

The counties, on August 27, voted 13-5 in favour of a 40-over format to be played next season. It is believed the shortened game retains popularity among members and is easier to sell than the 50-over format, but Strauss was of the view that domestic cricket should remain consistent with the format followed at the international level.

"My personal view is that domestic cricket should mirror international cricket, so in that respect playing 40-over cricket is not ideal," Strauss said ahead of England's series against Australia. The format, however, will retain the same Powerplay and fielding restrictions as the ODI version. Following the move, the ECB is also expected to ask the ICC to review the 50-over format for ODIs.

Strauss admitted that the transition to a 40-over game was not a big one, but questioned the decision made by the counties, particularly because international cricket still retained the longer version. "Forty-over cricket is not radically different from 50-over cricket but it just seems sensible to me that if your domestic season is a way of preparing players for international cricket you should be playing the same game," he said.

Strauss echoed the views of team-mate Paul Collingwood, who had said that domestic players must have a taste of what they will experience at the international level. "Forty-over cricket is what the public want in England, so it's been pushed in that direction," Collingwood had said. "But from the players' point of view, you want to come into an international game with a full range of experiences you're likely to encounter.

"Hopefully, it won't be a massive jump because there are similarities between the two, but we'll have to wait and see next time players come into the international game."