T20: Bristol 'has to be' part of new city-based competition, says Gloucestershire CEO

Gloucestershire play their home matches at The Brightside Ground in Bristol

Bristol must be part of any new, city-based Twenty20 competition, says Gloucestershire's chief executive.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is keen to start a new T20 event, which could come in as early as 2018.

The venues for the proposed eight-team event - initially approved in September ahead of a vote by the ECB board later in October - are yet to be decided.

"Bristol has to be part of it, ideally as a host venue for a regional team," Will Brown told BBC Radio Bristol.

"We want Bristol on the T20 map. It has to be, in our opinion.

"We've seen some tremendous growth in our T20 audiences in the past few years. We've got a great ground."

If the plans - which are yet to be laid out in full detail - are approved, the new tournament will feature city-based teams.

"Bristol is a massive city," Brown added. "We've got the infrastructure and everything we need to set up and do it. We have high hopes for that, definitely."

"There's an awful lot of detail that still needs to be worked through. The direction of travel has been agreed and I think it is the right one.

"I'm hopeful that we'll get the right thing for cricket. All counties are watching it very closely."

Bristol is set to host two one-day internationals next year, as England face Ireland and the West Indies, as well as eight Women's World Cup fixtures.