The Schofield report into the state of English cricket recommends appointing a managing director to oversee the running of the national team. The report, started after the Ashes debacle and chaired by Ken Schofield, also calls for a new national selector and a director of county cricket.
Schofield also suggests one fewer Test and scrapping the county Pro40 League.
The England and Wales Cricket Board wants more time to consider these proposals but endorsed 17 others.
"It is not unreasonable that any board would have a considerable period of time to review such recommendations," said former golf tour boss Schofield, who chaired a seven-man panel made up of former Test players including Nasser Hussain, Angus Fraser and Nick Knight.
Among the 17 ideas immediately backed by the ECB were making central contracts more heavily performance-weighted, rebranding the academy as a performance centre and an annual training programme for players close to but not in the senior England squad.
In addition, there are plans to realign the Ashes series to avoid World Cup winters.
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The review, which looked into English cricket during the four-year cycle from the 2002-03 Ashes to the end of the 2006-07 Ashes whitewash, would make the managing director the most influential person in the English game.
That person would oversee the appointment of coaches and captains and plan England's overseas itineraries.
His task would be to ensure the recent fixture-crammed winter - incorporating the Ashes in between an ICC Champions Trophy and World Cup - is not repeated.
Under the proposals, head coach Peter Moores would report to the managing director, who would also be in charge of team discipline, an area which came under the spotlight when half a dozen players were reprimanded for late-night drinking on the eve of a World Cup match.
 Schofield and his panel spent five months reviewing English cricket |
Moores, like his predecessor Duncan Fletcher, would be a selector, while chairman of selectors David Graveney's role would become a full-time one and re-branded national selector.
It is proposed that the national selector would travel with the England team at all times, therefore ending the policy of captain and coach selecting the final XI on tour.
"I've really enjoyed being involved in the national team. I'd just like to stay involved in whatever capacity the board consider," Graveney told the BBC.
The third selector, to be called the director of county cricket - effectively the position currently held by Geoff Miller - would be the liaison between the England team and the counties.
The ECB management board said it would undertake a further period of consultation to discuss the implications of the proposed management changes.
"We have to define the roles and after that we have to fit the best people to those roles," said ECB chief executive David Collier.
The ECB wants the Domestic Structure Review Group to address Schofield's recommendations to reduce the amount of cricket being played.
| We would like to think that domestic limited-overs cricket could reflect the international 50 and 20-over programmes so that players can improve their skills |
The belief is that playing fewer matches will enable players to prepare better and also cut down on the number of injuries.
Scrapping the 40-over one-day tournament would bring the county game into line with the international scene.
"Under the strict terms of reference we were given in January we were asked to look to improve England's ranking and more especially win a 50-over tournament," said Schofield.
"There isn't any 40-over format in international cricket and we would like to think that domestic limited-overs cricket could reflect the international 50 and 20-over programmes so that the players can improve their skills."
Collier has spoken to his Australian counterpart James Sutherland in a bid to shift the current cycle of Ashes campaigns.
Both countries will have to deal with the World Cup following the 2010-11 series, as it is locked into the future tours programme, but Australia's visit to England in 2013 could be put back until 2014.
And future Ashes trips should include two or three competitive four-day matches as preparation rather than 13-a-side practice games.
The ECB is due to report back in the autumn.
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