London, March 17 -- Surrey head coach Gareth Batty said that the pathway to the England team cap from domestic cricket has become "misted over" in recent times and went on to term the prestigious County Championship as the "best breeding ground in the world" for all-format players.

Betty's comments come ahead of the 2026 County Championship season, starting from April 3 onwards. These comments become even more significant following England's 4-1 defeat to Australia in the away Ashes earlier this year. The 'Bazball' approach to cricket, which prioritised attacking, positive, and result-oriented cricket and was prepared keeping the Aussie challenge in mind, backfired badly, except for a memorable Boxing Day Test triumph at Melbourne, which...