Selling stakes in the Hundred teams to private equity is a seismic moment in cricket’s history (Selling off the summer? Why Hundred plans should matter to all cricket lovers, 9 May). It points to a future where profit trumps all other factors. There is no detail on how the sale makes cricket more sustainable and accessible. Most of the new money will surely go on higher player and executive pay. Private equity won’t care whether more young people play the game or whether top players can help England win the Ashes.
English cricket is said to be broke but, taking in the ECB, 18 county teams and the MCC, it has an income of £600m a year, more than double that of five years ago. A hard look at costs and spending priorities so that all stakeholders broadly support the direction of travel is surely the right action before selling the silver.
A deal needs 14 county chairs to agree, but 11 are more concerned about their and the wider game’s place in this bright new future. Many cricket bosses are set to deny fans any vote, but 15 chairs are elected by their county members. In member-controlled counties, the members have a vital role holding the bosses to account.
Members across counties big and small are far more united to safeguard the wider game’s future. We aren’t blind to the challenges and are willing to embrace change and compromise. We take our duty as custodians seriously and want to be part of the discussion. Cricket needs money to exist, but it doesn’t exist just to make money.
Alan Higham
County Cricket Members Group, Richmond, London
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