England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tim Lamb has hit back at former England coach David Lloyd's scathing attack of the first-class counties.

Lloyd claimed the standard of the county system was too low to produce top-class Test cricketers.

"Some specialist coaches are employed in specific disciplines but not nearly enough and not often enough," Lloyd said in his Daily Telegraph column.

"In this area counties will say they are strapped for cash but most have ever-increasing office staffs with full-time positions such as press and media officer, stadium manager and the like. What do these people do all day?"

But Lamb attacked those claims, saying that counties did have their priorities right.

He said: "It's no secret that cricket is not a rich sport and, on limited budgets, all the first-class counties are running their clubs on a very professional and well-managed basis.

"However, to do this the counties need not only top-quality cricketers, but a variety of backroom support staff - the counties, increasingly, need to be run like businesses.

"I'm sure David and his colleagues in the media would be the first to complain if they weren't getting a good service, and they would be right to do so as cricket needs as much publicity as it can generate.

"Also, every county needs to have someone responsible for their ground to ensure the safety of players and spectators - this is essential."

Lamb also rejected Lloyd's assertions that the central contract system, which takes players away from their counties for much of the season, was 'ludicrous'.

"It is true to say, however, that some counties will see their top players on only a few occasions this summer - that was the inevitable consequence of introducing central contracts for England players, he said.

"David was, of course, a leading advocate of this new central contracts system. But, as David alludes to, central contracts have played a significant role in England's recent run of five Test series without defeat.

"The introduction of the two-division Championship has brought about a tougher, more intense and competitive form of cricket that is helping to prepare players for Test Match cricket."

Lamb is keen to defend the current crop of English Test players, insisting they are the victims of unfair criticism for their performance against the world-beating Australians.

He said: "We must not forget we are currently playing the leading cricketing nation in the world, which would have been a tremendously difficult challenge in any circumstances - made more so by the spate of injuries we have suffered.

"But, there is never any room for complacency and the ECB - along with the first-class counties - is now reviewing the whole structure of first-class cricket in England and Wales and, if we conclude changes need to be made, they will be.

"Since its formation in 1997, the ECB has showed that it's not afraid to confront difficult questions for the benefit of the whole game."

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