Sport England stumps cricket funding

Sport England (SE) has announced it is considering cutting its funding for English cricket if the English Cricket Board (ECB) does not improve its management and governance procedures.

SE said it welcomed the publication of the Sports Nexus Report on English Cricket on 16 September – which criticises the way the sport is run in England.

The ECB chief executive, Tim Lamb, resigned from his position in May and will be replaced next month by acting chief executive, Hugh Morris, until a permanent replacement can be found.

Roger Draper, chief executive of SE, said: “Sport England recognises the importance of cricket to English sport. We are concerned that the governance of the ECB may threaten the future growth and success of this sport.

“We may have to consider future funding if significant changes are not made before cricket’s four-year business plan is submitted in November.”

SE announced that while it has become increasingly concerned over the way the ECB is governed, it congratulated the national team’s recent success on the pitch and will continue to fund the national team and the National Cricket Academy.

The organisation stated that it sees the development of cricket at grassroots as critical to achieving increased national participation and international success.