Richard Gould, the new ECB chief executive, has said banter is “a swear word” and that the outcomes from the Yorkshire racism scandal mean dressing rooms are now in no doubt as to what is unacceptable language and behaviour.
In his first media outing since taking the role in February, Gould described a proposed cut to the County Championship as “dead in the water”, shared his belief that the Hundred will live past the end of its current broadcast deal in 2028, and revealed England men’s players can now receive multi-year contracts.
But as well as trying to navigate the sport’s structural challenges – and the existential threat resulting from the rise of franchise cricket – the ECB currently finds itself between last Friday’s verdicts in the Yorkshire disciplinary proceedings and the forthcoming report from the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket.
Prompted by Azeem Rafiq’s testimony, the former saw six former Yorkshire players found guilty of using racist language in the Headingley dressing room. The ICEC report, commissioned in March 2021 and due to be published soon, will offer a broader picture of the sport’s record on discrimination and inclusivity.
Gould, confirming that a separate review into professional dressing room culture by consultants EY Lane 4 has now been completed, cited a recent column by Mark Ramprakash in the Guardian in which the former England batter said a line has been drawn on player behaviour and there is now “no excuse”.
“I was taken by Mark Ramprakash [writing in the Observer] when he said nobody can be in any doubt as to the standards that are required,” said Gould, the former Surrey chief executive who has returned to cricket after a 16-month spell in charge at Bristol City.
“Some of the difficult issues at Yorkshire went back 20 years and when you go back over 20 years, behaviours were different. As a society and sport we seek to improve year on year. [And] what we have seen at Yorkshire, I don’t believe they are wholly a Yorkshire issue or a wholly cricket issue either.
“[But] we have seen within dressing rooms, banter used to be a word that you could use. But banter is a swear word now. Banter is not acceptable. It’s up to the teams to ensure they have their own correct levels of control and to determine their culture. But they know the base level of what is and isn’t acceptable.”
Gould said the Yorkshire saga became “poisonous” over time and future cases would need a faster resolution, with the ECB itself needing to learn from its shortcomings in handling the affair. He drew satisfaction from Rafiq saying he felt vindicated by the result, however, calling it “an important moment”.
The ICEC’s conclusions will also be welcomed, Gould insisting this will be vital to “rebuilding trust” with communities which feel currently excluded from the sport. “We want to become the most inclusive sport in the country, whether that’s a local village club or the England team,” he added.
Mindful that broadcast revenues are plateauing, Gould also stated an aim that the projected three million attendees at cricket matches during this bumper Ashes summer rises to four million during his time in the role; the Hundred, something he was critical of while at Surrey, is clearly here to stay.
Like Richard Thompson, the ECB chair, Gould has been converted by seeing “men and women playing on the same stage, same day”. “We have a broadcast deal until 2028 but I’m sure the Hundred will have a future beyond that,” he said, while adding his openness to private investment in the tournament down the line.
There was an acceptance that this summer’s Hundred window – all August – was not ideal, however, and that international cricket will return to the school holidays in future seasons. But despite a recommendation from last year’s High Performance Review, the County Championship will not be shrunk.
As well as pushback from the counties over the proposed drop from 14 to 10 games per season, this is also down to the upturn in fortunes of the England men’s Test team under Ben Stokes. Gould insisted that their run of 10 wins from 12 – plus two World Cup wins for the white-ball side – offers a different perspective to the mood that followed the 4-0 Ashes defeat in 2021/22.
There was an acknowledgement that with the international game being squeezed by franchised Twenty20 leagues, remuneration for players must adapt. Gould suggested that increased match fees are coming, while stating that Rob Key, director of men’s cricket, will be allowed to offer multi-year central contracts.
He said: “Rob knows it’s something he can use going forward. We don’t have a choice in this. If we don’t secure the best players the media rights will drop. The market changes but the one exception is the Indian Premier League .That’s gone in terms of a window. But we have to compete with the other [leagues].”
