text: International stars like Brendon McCullum will visit to play T20 cricket this summer, but talk among homegrown players is of how it might save England from further embarrassment in global competitions. Alex Hales and Chris Woakes, two foot soldiers in the recent World Cup fiasco, both called for some rethinking of the domestic structure to avoid a repeat of what happened in Australia and New Zealand. At the launch of next month's opening of the Natwest T20 Blast Nottinghamshire's Hales admitted: 'As a team we're not hiding behind the fact that we're embarrassed about what happened. With the quality of the squad that we had there's no excuse not to make it out of the group stages.' Alex Hales believes England's players aren't competing in enough Twenty20 competitions . Hales was at Edgbaston on Thursday at the launch of this season's T20 domestic competition . Both he and Woakes feel that a way of improving England's one day cricket would be to adopt more the model of countries like Australia and India with their franchise systems. 'The Big Bash is fantastic, I've played in it for three years and really enjoyed it,' said Hales. 'I'm a big fan of the block system for T20, you dedicate three weeks to a month to hone your skills, all your focus if on T20. In the last couple of years in England I haven't had much of a chance to develop. 'Over here you play something different Sunday to Wednesday, then T20 on Friday so you don't get a huge chance to practice your skills. Over there they have less teams so the standard is fantastic. 'I think that's maybe where we got found out a bit in the World Cup, not many guys get exposed to T20. There's such a heavy schedule of Test matches guys don't get a chance to play domestic T20. Look at guys like Broady and Jimmy (Anderson), they don't get a chance to play for their counties. 'It doesn't help that a lot of our guys don't play in the IPL or the Big Bash. Other players are constantly playing in front of big crowds and improving their skills and that's not something we had in the World Cup. England were thoroughly embarrassed at the 50-over World Cup earlier this year, dumped out of their group . Brendon McCullum is adept at playing T20 all over the world and Hales wants more of that for English stars . 'It's tougher here with the indifferent weather and I don't really know what goes on behind the scenes, but in terms of standard and quality I think the franchise system would work in England.' At Thursday's Edgbaston launch there were players from all 18 counties, but that number would be cut down if the ECB and its new management ever get round to introducing a more city-based league. Woakes, who hopes to start bowling again in the next two weeks after recent foot problems, will play alongside McCullum for a Warwickshire team now styled as the Birmingham Bears. He believes the rebranding added to the support they received last season, and could so elsewhere if replicated: 'As a player you felt like there were more people behind you,' he said. 'It might attract more people to come to the ground from different areas of the city, they might feel more part of it. 'I'm sure if it happened it wouldn't feel right at first but I bet the Big Bash didn't feel right at first, everything moves forward and evolves. I think it would probably be a good thing. It would improve the standard of cricket, it might not feel right but eventually it would. 'It's a tricky one, you would have to get counties to merge. Some players might benefit and others wouldn't. Some people are going to be unhappy. I don't think counties would be shut down but if franchises are going to happen something has to give.' Advanced ticket sales are said to be up 41 per cent on last year ahead of the May 15 start with other overseas stars in action including Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch, Chris Gayle and Kumar Sangakarra.
target: England suffered humiliation in the 50-over World Cup this year .
  Alex Hales believes they would benefit from playing more T20 cricket .
  Hales was talking at the launch of this season's domestic T20 competition .