ECB chief executive Richard Gould has insisted the sale of the eight Hundred franchises could fund county cricket for the next two decades and beyond, as the private investor bidding process nears the end of its second phase.
The number of 110 letters of interest from potential buyers for the first phase has dropped significantly, but Gould remained optimistic about the sale of all eight teams between “February and late summer”, saying there were “multiple bids” for each team. The ECB believes they can easily exceed their minimum target of £350 million.
He warned that “guardrails” would be put in place to ensure that the money, which will be shared between the 18 first-tier provinces and the MCC, is invested properly.
“We’re not counting our chickens yet,” said Gould, who is in Hamilton for England’s third and final test against New Zealand. “But the aim is to raise significant investment in the game. I hope this will recapitalize the county game for the next 20 to 25 years, if that money is really put to good use.”
Gould played down the Professional Cricketers’ Association’s concerns that pay rises for next summer’s Hundred would be pushed through despite a “serious lack of communication and consultation”, risking cricketers further down the food chain remaining underpaid.
The top salary for men rises from £125,000 to £200,000, and the equivalent of £50,000 for women to £65,000. Gould admitted: ‘Certainly there is a small section of male players who are not happy with the outcome.’
Richard Gould says the sale of the eight Hundred franchises could secure county cricket
The bidding process of private investors is nearing the end of the second phase
But he denied that the ECB had not properly consulted the PCA, saying: “If you add up all the player announcements we have made over the last 18 months, it amounts to over an additional £15 million per year that we will be bringing you into the pot stops.
‘That’s because we realize how important the players are. We are in a global market and we have to be able to compete well for those players.
‘The language used in these cases can sometimes be relatively intense, because you sometimes have to deal with quite strong emotions.’
Gould also said he had not heard of any strike action from players reportedly unhappy with the board’s refusal to allow county cricketers on red-ball contracts to participate in overseas franchise competitions that conflict with the domestic season.
Meanwhile, ECB chairman Richard Thompson has denied that the sale of the Hundred teams ‘will not end up being an IPL takeover’ amid speculation that Indian investors will dominate the bidding.
Thompson told Wisden Cricket Monthly: ‘There’s a huge amount of American money involved – very sophisticated investors who understand franchise sport… and they’re looking at the long term.
“They know we have the best time zone in the world. And if you want to maximize cricket’s media rights, look at the fact that rugby and football have such incredibly successful domestic products, and we don’t. They see how unappreciated it is.”
