GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S Hamish Marshall believes English cricket will benefit from the introduction of a major Twenty20 tournament as has happened throughout the other leading international countries around the world.

Marshall enjoyed a great time in the United Arab Emirates this January where he was part of the first ever Masters Champions League tournament and played alongside legends such as ex-Gloucestershire and Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, South African allrounder Jacques Kallis and Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.

Now that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have re-defined the future of first class cricket by bringing in block dates in the calendar for T20 matches and the One-Day Cup competitions, the latter of which Gloucestershire are the reigning champions, Marshall is happy about the revised calendar.

The Gloucestershire batting legend believes England should have a T20 competition of the magnitude of the Big Bash in Australia, the Indian Premier League and the Caribbean Premier League.

Gloucestershire will have two heroes of the Big Bash in their ranks this summer when Aussies Michael Klinger and Andrew Tye arrive in the country.

Marshall said: “England is the one spot where they haven’t got a proper Twenty20 tournament going around the world. In those big countries, you have India, South Africa, West Indies, they have all got them. England is the next one to try and get one going. If they do that, then it could be an outstanding format here.

“It is a pretty good competition and, when you watch the Big Bash and IPL on TV, it is pretty exciting and special. There is no reason why England cannot create that. It will take a few changes and take a few people who will have to sacrifice some things but the game is heading in that direction and the longer you leave it, the tougher it will be.

“Hopefully, in my opinion, they will make those changes and the county season will have this amazing Twenty20 box of cricket with some of the best players around the world coming to that and lighting up the competition, which is what the game is all about.”

And Marshall is happy that the ECB have revised the structure of the playing calendar for next year.

He added: “I am a fan of the changes to English cricket. I think what you will find is, albeit you will lose some cricket – about eight days – but that eight days for bowlers to recover and get their energy back should improve the quality of the cricket.

“I think, at times, because of the amount of cricket you are playing, the standard drops and also because of the chopping and changing all the time.

“You can be playing a one day game, then a four-day game and then back to a one day game. And then there is a Twenty20 game.

“I think, by blocking it (the competitions), the standard will improve, the injuries will be less and the more inform players will be out there because their bodies have time to recover so I think it is heading in the right direction.

“If you look at Australia, they only play ten games a year. You don’t have to play 16 games. The volume is not going to be the thing that improves county cricket, it is the standard. If you have got more time to recover and your best players are on the park, the standard will be better.”