Surrey have called for an FA Cup-style 50-over knockout competition to be introduced involving the 20 national counties – once known as the minor counties – playing against the 18 first-class teams.

“Why, when you consider we’ve got 38 counties, with structures in place, don’t we engage the national counties, and not play every competition in a league,” Richard Thompson, the chairman of Surrey, said.

“Why can’t we have a knockout that’s truly a national knockout? So, Cornwall might come here or we might go down to Truro and get beaten. Those types of things – cricket’s really missing a trick.”

The tournament proposed by Thompson would be similar to the old knockout 50-over competition – sponsored by Gillette, and later NatWest and Cheltenham & Gloucester – which at one stage featured as many as 60 teams.

From 1964, first-class counties had to play against minor counties. Durham’s success in the competition – they famously defeated Yorkshire in 1973 – was instrumental in them later being awarded first-class status.

Thompson said that such a knockout competition could galvanise cricket in the country, taking leading players to the 20 national counties and creating the opportunity for famous upsets.