Counties agree changes to men’s and women’s white-ball competitions
YORKSHIRE and their fellow first-class counties will each play 12 Vitality Blast group matches from next season rather than 14.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced changes to the competition from 2026 onwards following the county-led domestic review.
The T20 tournament will revert from the existing model of two groups of nine counties to three groups of six, with the quarter-finals and Finals Day before The Hundred in August.
Yorkshire voted in favour of this proposal in accordance with the views of their members, although no decision has yet been made concerning the future structure of the County Championship, with Yorkshire favouring the existing schedule of 14 games rather than a cut down to 12.
The ECB has also announced changes to the Vitality Blast and Metro Bank One-Day Cup women’s competitions from next season.
Yorkshire, who are moving from Tier 2 to Tier 1, will play 12 Vitality Blast group matches (also down from 14 as per the men’s tournament), plus 16 Metro Bank One-Day Cup games (up from 14 this year).
The Tier 1 women’s Vitality Blast Finals Day will now mirror the men’s, with two semi-finals and a final, while the Tier 1 Metro-Bank One-Day Cup will no longer have two semi-finals but rather a second versus third eliminator before the final.
Mark McCafferty, chair of the Professional Game Committee (PGC), said: “These changes to the men’s Vitality Blast will be a springboard to further investment in an historic and much-loved domestic T20 competition which is recognised as one of the world’s best.
“It’s known for its intense local rivalries and is central to the development of England’s white-ball talent pool and to the financial performance of all 18 counties.”
Beth Barrett-Wild, ECB director of the women’s professional game, said: “We have enjoyed a successful first season of the new women’s county structure and it is exciting to plan out the next edition when Yorkshire will join Tier 1.”