MacLaurin in favour of extending central contracts

Lord MacLaurin, fresh from his unopposed re-election as Chairman of the ECB, has hinted that the central contract system will be extended.

"The England contracts will certainly continue and increase in time," he commented on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Despite protestations that the county game has been weakened by the absence of the best players, MacLaurin is adamant that the future of the Test side is the key to the fortunes of all English cricket.

"We have to keep the international side going, that's for sure," he continued. "If the England side gets right, that will help the finances of the game. The county structure is very important to me."

MacLaurin also sounded a warning on the match fixing scandal, saying, "I have always said right through the Hansie Cronje affair that it was probably going to be worse than expected. All I can say is that the enquires that we have made with police here have so far cleared all our England players."