ENGLISH cricket is preparing for a brighter future following the announcement of a £30m cosmetic makeover, including more floodlights.

A sizeable purse has been opened to the sport from county to recreational level in a bid to raise facility standards and allow greater accessibility to the public.

England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke hopes all 18 first-class counties will have venues with international- standard floodlights in the near future, and £9m has been ring-fenced for that project.

A further £6m has been designated to improve drainage at the leading grounds in the country.

Millions of pounds will filter their way to grassroots cricket at club and school level.

The money is coming primarily from increases in broadcasting revenue, sponsorship and gate receipts over recent years, and the breakdown was calculated following an independent review of the game last autumn.

Cricket in England and Wales has never seen this level of financial support,'' said Clarke.

Our resources are being targeted to build the continuing affection of the nation with its summer sport and to give people of all ages and walks of life the chance to play and watch in the best surroundings.'' The ECB hope the effects of more day-night cricket will be twofold: bigger crowds and better- prepared players for the international sides.

We feel we need considerably more experience playing daynight games,'' Clarke said.

Secondly, the spectators have considerably greater ease coming to watch cricket in the early and late evening.

If we've got floodlights, we are in a position to do that.'' Several counties already have permanent lights, having ventured independently in a bid to raise income.

Sussex chief executive Gus Mackay said: We will look up to upgrade our existing lights under this initiative.

Technology has moved a lot since we first had lights some eight years ago, and this money will allow us to address that.

This is all fantastic for the game, helps move it forward and shows cricket is in a pretty healthy state.

It allows non-Test match grounds like ours to invest in facilities and so spectators can come in the future to an environment much improved."

For Worcestershire, hit so badly by flooding in 2007, financial help for drainage at New Road will be a major boost.

Although the NatWest Pro40 winners received an insurance payment of £300,000 and an ECB grant of £75,000, the pre-tax loss on the year still stood at £693,211 - a total chief executive Mark Newton expects will take until the end of the 2009 season to satisfactorily address.