Marland slams ECB 'shambles'

	Lord Marland has been highly critical of the ECB under Giles Clarke © Getty Images Enlarge

Lord Marlard has stepped up his campaign to oust Giles Clarke as ECB chairman by claiming the current board has left the game in a "shambles" and completely mismanaged a range of issues from Stanford to TV rights to the relationship with India.

Marlard is the only contender taking on Clarke in next month's election and has promised to bring a huge influx of money to the counties - as much as £100 million - after claiming that under Clarke the game in England has drifted aimlessly since the 2005 Ashes victory.

"The problems facing the ECB are there for all to see. They have become very obvious in the last few weeks," Lord Marland told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek. "The ECB have created them through their own injudicious decisions, which are avoidable and have been avoidable over the last two or three years.

"Things have got to change. There are so many burned bridges by the ECB that it needs serious restoration."

Top of his list of criticisms is how the ECB shunned the Champions League when they had the chance to join as one of the founding partners. Instead India, Australia and South Africa formed the event - the first edition of which was postponed after the Mumbai attacks - and currently England have just one team in the tournament.

"They have missed out on the finances of the IPL and a seat at the top table with India, Australia and South Africa," Marland said. "They have missed out on $160 million from the Champions League deal. It is a shambles.

"They were asked to negotiate with them but they put two fingers up and said 'we will go our own way'. They felt they could do it differently .The whole thing needs a thorough and complete review."

The ECB opted to form a partnership with Allen Stanford and the Stanford Super Series concept was born with a prize of US$20 million for the winners of the November 1 contest. England were humiliated, bowled out for 99 and the All Stars won by 10 wickets. It is meant to be a five-year deal, but rumours persist that Stanford will pull the plug on the event and Marlard wouldn't be sorry to see it go.

"I think he [Stanford] will jump before he is pushed," he said. "I think it has brought the game into total disrepute in this country. It is a total embarrassment."