ECB must consider reform or face losing millions

Tim Lamb: the ECB chief executive is under pressure to act, and act fast © Getty Images

The Cricket Reform Group (CRG), the self-appointed band who are challenging the way that the game is run in England, have found an ally in their campaign for change - Sport England.

Sport England are responsible for the distribution of millions of pounds of government and lottery funding, and cricket has been identified as one of ten priority sports which should get a large slice of the financial cake. But Roger Draper, Sport England's chief executive, is reported to be impressed by the CRG's proposals, and that might mean that the England & Wales Cricket Board have to take more notice of them than it otherwise might.

"We're obviously interested in the views of the wider constituency about how the game is run and the competitive structure as well," Draper told the Sunday Telegraph. "The thing we have learned from the success of Clive Woodward in rugby and Bill Sweetenham in swimming is the importance of having high-intensity competition on a regular basis.

"That's why we're looking at some of the recommendations of the CRG in terms of the county cricket structure. We want a national team who are beating Australia on a sustainable basis and winning the World Cup."

The ECB met recently with the CRG, and the proposals put forward will be discussed as part of a general review into a possible revamp of the County Championship. But that report is not due for another six months, and Draper wants organisations to start moving quickly - certainly quicker than the ECB was probably intending.

Draper met with the ECB's chairman David Morgan and the chief executive Tim Lamb recently, and left them in no doubt that speed was of the essence. "We are looking for our governing bodies to move at pace and do the right thing for their sport," said Draper. "We told them that by the time we come back in March to review their business plan, we expect to see some changes in place."

If the ECB does not get a move on then it faces losing its priority status - it receives about £2.5million directly and another £10million indirectly to clubs and other organisations - at a time its finances are under considerable pressure as a result of the World Cup boycott of the match in Harare.

"We want to see slicker decision-making and the right decisions being made," Draper said. "What we don't want to see are changes being stopped by vested interests. It is very difficult to get turkeys to vote for Christmas, so what we've got to do is make sure that the proper accountability is in place."

But the very make-up of the ECB makes quick and decisive action almost impossible. It is beholden to so many interest groups that obtaining a consensus - let alone a quick one - on something as radical as the CRG plan is almost impossible.