By Thrasy Petropoulos BBC Sport Online Cricket Writer

To some Mike Soper is the antidote to all that's wrong with English cricket, to others he is an unashamed idealist whose ambitious goals do not stand a chance of seeing the light of day.

Which side of the fence the 18 first-class counties and the MCC fall will decide whether the 54-year-old attracts enough votes this autumn to be elected as chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

One other concern is Soper's health.

Diagnosed with incurable prostate and bone cancer, he has been told that he has no more than six years to live, but should remain healthy for at least four of those.

Mike Soper: A man driven by enthusiasm

Whether right or wrong in his opinions, Soper, currently Surrey chairman, is nothing if not enthusiastic.

Without a hint of irony, he states: "I want cricket to be bigger than football. I'll need three years."

Unsurprisingly, he has been less than amused by the many reports of county cricket's imminent demise.

"There are two ways of looking at the game," he argues.

"You can take a photograph of it from one end of a ground, with the stands ahead of you virtually empty and say that the county game is dead.

"Or you can go to the other end and take a picture of the pavilion with 2,000 people looking on and say that the county game is on the up.

"It depends very much how you want to view the game. My way is to talk it up."

As an ambassador for the game, therefore, there is no doubt Soper would bring fresh energy to post.

But the chairmanship of the cricket's governing body requires more than enthusiasm.

Lord MacLaurin may wish to leave the ECB

What about a manifesto?

"I'm not about to criticise the ECB at the moment because the ECB is an amalgam of the counties. What they've put in is what you have.

"But I think they missed a trick with the contracts. We should have had at least 16, maybe 20. I cannot understand it.

"If you have a squad of up to 20 you'd naturally have two wicketkeepers. They're putting unreasonable pressure on James Foster.

"There's nothing like the older, experienced chap looking after the youngster.

"Whether Alec Stewart plays or not he is the consummate professional and Foster needs the help of someone like him to push him through.

"The ECB did a good job for three or four years but I just feel they have lost their way a bit and the emphasis needs to be changed.

"There are people out there who want to put money into cricket. You've got to go out and grab people by the throat.

"If I could lobby successfully for the Minister of Sport to becoming a cabinet position I'd be a very happy man.

"Above all, I want people talking cricket in bars, talking about England, about counties, about 20-over cricket. I want to get cricket on the back pages, not David Beckham's foot."

Soper wants to take cricket to the masses

Before that, however, a majority of the 18 counties and MCC, who make up the First Class Forum, need to be persuaded to back him.

Lord MacLaurin, who is yet to indicate whether he will be seeking election for a fourth two-year term, has been unopposed in the past.

But his deputy David Morgan is expected to stand later this year.

On his illness, Soper is characteristically bullish.

"I had chemotherapy treatment last year, which wasn't particularly pleasant, but I'm as fit now as I have ever been.

"I'm on a food and drug diet and I swim half a mile a day. I bet I can swim faster than you!"