The ECB's David Morgan has seen Willis's blueprint

First-class counties would be merged with minor counties and many county pros forced into redundancy.

The group is highlighting perceived flaws in the game's structures.

One of its members, former England captain Bob Willis, said: "We will see a lot more money going to the England team - it's worked for English rugby."

With his brother David, plus Michael Atherton, Nigel Wray and Michael Parkinson, Willis has already presented his plans to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

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And later on Thursday he is due to approach the Professional Cricketers' Association.

The PCA can't really keep 450 professional cricketers employed in this country Bob Willis

However, the ECB has said nothing can really change until 2006, the year when television rights are re-negotiated.

Willis said: "We want to completely change the administration of cricket.

"We're going to lobby government, the TV companies and the sponsors to try to make them see that our plans are far better for the game than the current ones in situ."

"There needs to be a stepping-stone between the current first-class system and the Test match team which has worked so well in rugby with the Zurich Premiership.

"We would also like to have far more interaction between the professional and recreational game.

"People would not have to be full time professional cricketers to have a stab at first-class cricket."

What an utter load of nonsense, keep the county game as it is From Yorkshire Fan Have your say on TMS

The Premier League teams - Surrey, Lancashire, Middlesex, Kent, Sussex and Warwickshire - would play each other twice.

Surrey would absorb Berkshire, with Cheshire joining Lancashire and Hertfordshire linking up with Middlesex. The other three would not be affected.

The other 12 counties would be regionally split into a north and south group, each one linked with up to three minor counties.

Willis said: "We think the PCA are very realistic and can't really keep 450 professional cricketers employed in this country.

"Our scheme would have 180 Premier League clubs in the country and some of the professional cricketers currently employed by counties would go and play for those clubs.