A new city-based Twenty20 tournament appears set to be introduced to the English domestic calendar as soon as 2018 after counties reached agreement in a meeting at Lord's.
The lure of a tournament in the style of Australia's Big Bash - involving just eight teams and to run outside the established Twenty competition for all 18 counties - appears to have cleared its most significant hurdle after it was backed by a majority of county representatives.
The next step will be for the England and Wales Cricket Board to formally consider the proposal at its board meeting in the middle of next month.
It is anticipated a further formal vote will be required to amend the governing body's constitution accordingly and therefore facilitate the city-based innovation.
At present, it is a constitutional premise that all 18 first-class counties must be involved in any professional competition under the ECB's jurisdiction.
