England and Wales Cricket Board members approved the proposal to start a new eight-team Twenty20 tournament from the year 2020. The proposals were approved by 38 of the 41 board members, with 15 first-class counties in support of the competition. Essex and Middlesex were the only two counties to vote against the proposals, while Kent abstained from voting.
"I passionately believe that the game has chosen the right path," ECB chairman Colin Graves said. The ECB needed 31 members to vote in favour of the tournament which will be played alongside the existing T20 Blast. It is not yet known which cities will have sides and where the matches will be played.
"Each of our members will benefit and, critically, so will the whole game," Graves added. "We can now move on with building an exciting new competition for a new audience to complement our existing competitions. Our clear ambition is that this new competition will sit alongside the IPL and Big Bash League as one of the world's major cricket tournaments."
The new tournament will run alongside the existing T20 Blast. The ECB has said the competition will give cricket the chance to be part of "mainstream conversation" and believes the tournament can make the sport "relevant to a whole new audience".
However, Essex are concerned it will "exclude" certain areas of the country, while Middlesex feel they will not benefit financially from Lord's being a likely base for one of the teams. But Graves said they would make sure it benefited all counties and it marked "an exciting new era" for cricket in England and Wales.
"The ECB executive and T20 development team will now continue to work with the game as we build the new competition, ensure it is positioned distinctively from our existing competitions and realise its full potential," he added. "All decisions - including the creation and base of each team - will be made within the game, guided by our shared strategy and built on best practice, research and insight. The benefits it will bring can deliver a sustainable future for all 18 first-class counties and an exciting future for the game in England and Wales."
