Cook is keen on a return to 50-over cricket in the county game

Durham head coach Geoff Cook has said he believes the domestic county cricket calendar has to be revamped to make room for the 50-over format.

Twenty20 and 40-over cricket has replaced the 50-over format in the county game, despite its continuing role on the international scene.

"We can't ignore 50-over cricket," Cook told BBC Newcastle.

"If it's going to be played at international level, it has to be addressed in county cricket."

Cook added: "If that means the sacrifice of some of the 20-over and some of the 40-over cricket, then I think that makes cricketing sense."

Meanwhile, Durham's work in testing out the pink balls against the MCC in Abu Dhabi earlier in the season has yielded a change in the structure of world cricket, with floodlit Test matches being voted in by a World Cricket Committee meeting.

However, Cook admitted he would have advocated further experimentation before making a final decision on the new additions.

"It was great that Durham had played well enough before that to be involved in the experiment," Cook said.

"I am surprised that they've gone ahead immediately with pink balls. I know that players on both sides felt that further experiments with different coloured balls under the floodlights would have been worthwhile.

"You've got to take your first steps. It's a positive thing and it's an exciting prospect to see it in India, Pakistan -when they start to play there again - and also probably Australia."

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