By Sam Dalling

Last summer, there were no fewer than 30 loan moves doing the rounds in county cricket – almost double the 16 of 2018. But while short-termism has its upsides, are temporary switches good for the wider game?
Let’s strip it right back: the driver for the ECB’s loan system was to get players valuable time on the grass.
That is very noble as a principle, but loans are very different beasts now. Whereas once a player was either on loan or not, since 2013 competition specific switches have been possible. Therefore, a player could sandwich a first-class appearance for a borrowing...