ECB announces formation of independent Cricket Regulator

The ECB has announced the launch of the Cricket Regulator, a new independent body responsible for monitoring compliance with the game's regulations and enforcing adherence to those regulations, as well as providing relevant information and education.

The formation of the Cricket Regulator was a key recommendation from a damning report published by Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) in June, which detailed structural inequalities across race, gender and class in cricket in England and Wales.

The 317-page document published, entitled "Holding Up a Mirror to Cricket", was critical of the ECB's dual roles as promoter and regulator of the game, concluding potential conflicts of interest were "irreconcilable". This, the report stated, was particularly evident in the handling of the racism crisis that dominated English cricket following Azeem Rafiq's revelations from his time at Yorkshire.

The ICEC suggested a new body, not the ECB, "should be responsible for investigating alleged regulatory breaches and for making decisions about whether to bring charges". In September, the ECB confirmed it would action this recommendation.

Unveiled on Monday, the Cricket Regulator will be overseen by an independent Cricket Regulatory Board and, crucially, will be ring-fenced from the rest of the ECB. Areas previously under the governing body's remit, including safeguarding, integrity (anti-corruption, misconduct, anti-doping) and anti-discrimination, will now be part of the Cricket Regulator's purview.

Starting immediately, the Cricket Regulator will undertake investigations when a case is reported before deciding whether there is sufficient evidence to put the case to the Cricket Discipline Commission (which will be repurposed as the Cricket Discipline Panel in 2024). The independent Cricket Regulatory Board, which also begins work on Monday, will have budget authority for the Cricket Regulator and will be accountable for its activity and expenditure. The current ECB Regulatory Committee members have become the first board members, and will not have reporting lines into ECB executives, though the ECB board will be responsible for approving the Cricket Regulator's budget.

Dave Lewis, a former police chief, will act as interim director of the Cricket Regulator, tasked with setting up the body before a permanent successor is appointed in 2024. Lewis has over 30 years of experience in law enforcement, undertaking various roles, including the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for ethics, and retired as deputy chief constable of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall in October 2020. He will report to Nick Coward, chair of the Cricket Regulatory Broad.

"The Cricket Regulator will cover a wide range of matters on which the game has set clear standards, including anti-discrimination," Lewis said in a statement. "The team and I are clear about the importance of meeting high standards in ensuring people across the game know what is expected of them, and having the best procedures in place, to protect and promote the good of the game, and everyone involved."

ECB chief executive Richard Gould welcomed the formation of the new body, and its independence: "It is important that the game has the best processes in place in order to enforce regulations. The ICEC report recommended that we introduce further independence to the game's regulatory process and the Cricket Regulator overseen by an independent Cricket Regulatory Board will do that.

"The Cricket Regulator is ring-fenced from the ECB, and that separation will ensure that their work is distinct from our work as the game's promoter."