Last year ECB decided to remove mandatory toss of the coin from county cricket starting from 2016.
Here is a link to that article.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/nov/26/ecb-coin-toss-mandatory-2016
So far it has no effect whatsoever in terms of spinners benefiting and match result.
At end of 27 games (both division) only 6 had result (22.22%) and rest were drawn(including one wash-out without a ball being bowled). Although season has just started and there are 100 plus games left to be played by September.
There are 18 teams playing 18 games each in two division. Interestingly 67 centuries have been scored(both division) so far, and 20 batsmen are averaging more than 50 runs!.
The bowling is totally dominated by pace bowlers. Combining two division 33 bowlers have picked 10 more wickets(4 games /team) and not a single spinner is that list.
Toss factor gives an psychological advantage to players and teams, hence you have them in all sport. But by making it optional it has removed that mental edge players/teams have, as it works both ways!.
The decision was made by ECB to curb ‘seamer-friendly pitches’ for host teams, so that the matches will last 4 stipulated days!. So far it has not happened as almost every game went till the 4th day, and spinners had no effect whatsoever. The cold weather is another factor that is not helping the spinners, and neither pitches are seamer friendly (not yet) as only 7 times(27 matches) teams were dismissed for less than 250 in 1st innings (both division).
I am only using secondary data to analyse this factor. The players are the ones whose opinion matters, and so far they seem to be comfortable with this concept.
