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CRICKET ROADSHOWS

Week 2 Preview - 18 May, Lord's Cricket

The emergence of football-style player transfers will come under the microscope on Saturday as the Cricket Roadshow examines the increasing pressure on counties to establish themselves among the country's elite.

There is little doubt the development of a two division county championship has made clubs strive for greater on-field success via stronger playing squads – and the increased financial rewards that brings – but the basic set-up of the domestic game remains a hindrance to the more ambitious teams due to its arcane transfer system.

Few counties have been as ambitious as Hampshire in recent years with their superb new ground and the acquisition of such high profile players as Shane Warne and Allan Mullally, but it was their drawn-out courting and eventual signing of John Crawley that has prompted further questioning of the current transfer system.

Crawley was still under contract to Lancashire when Hampshire approached to sign him and the England batsman was forced to launch an expensive and high-profile legal campaign during the close season to ensure his proposed switch went through.

Although he lost the legal case – despite hiring Cherie Blair – Crawley did eventually succeed in persuading Lancashire to release him, but not before an informal compensation package was agreed.

It was a similar story with Aftab Habib who switched from Leicestershire to Essex, but he decided to bypass any legal campaign by buying himself out of his contract and setting an intriguing precedent for others to follow.

The question now is whether a formal transfer system should be introduced with sufficient financial compensation introduced to soften the blow and appease disgruntled county treasurers. Among our expert panel on Saturday Crawley will be giving his views on how the current situation should be amended.

Injured wicketkeeper James Foster and former England stumper Paul Downton will also feature on Saturday's show, Channel 4 new boy Michael Atherton takes us on a tour around the England changing rooms and the ever popular '60 seconds with Slats' returns to our screens.

Other attractions include the Roadshow's new Top 4 feature, this week taking a sideways look at 'Lord's Losers', a competition to win one of the new Woodworm cricket bats and the usual mix of reflections and previews from around the cricket world.

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