Random Cricket Thread (Domestic Cricket)

[andy]

Moeen Ali is apparently close to signing for Yorkshire for the T20 blast this season

[andy]

Shoaib bashirs move to Derbyshire has been confirmed

[Arthur Crabtree]

Hope it goes well for him. Winter could hardly have gone worse.

[Durhamfootman]

I'd have had him up here, tbh

[andy]

Id have took him as well...harmer isn't getting any younger

[alfie]

Glad to see he has found a spot. The obsession with him for England didn't pay off in Australia (predictably I think) and probably ended up sending him backwards (injury didn't help). Presume he will be off the England radar for now ; but he is young enough to develop his skills in the CC and maybe return as a much more complete article. Wouldn't be the first spinner to have that kind of career journey.

[andy]

Everyone forgets how young he is...he already has 65 test wickets...he's clearly talented but needs a few years developing properly in county cricket...he will definitely come again he's a good spinner just needs to develop and get battle hardened in the county championship

[Durhamfootman]

article from the Cricketer, commenting upon a report in the guardian that Sussex have been placed in special measures by the ECB for financial mismanagement



The news that Sussex are in financial strife begs the question – why can't they be given the estimated £28million due to them from The Hundred auction? The ECB say money from Project Gemini can be used to build reserves, generate revenue and reduce debt. Around £400,000 was paid to counties in July, upon six of the eight deals being completed. They have put guardrails in place for the good of the game, and they are not letting it be spent on operating losses.

"We will utilise the County Partnership Agreement (CPA) to ensure that while counties do have autonomy over their funds, they are operating within a framework and are held to account on their financial sustainability," a statement released last February read.

This is harsh, in my opinion. If some counties need it for operating losses, needs must. They have made enough sacrifices for The Hundred. In men's cricket, all Sussex have to put on at Hove in the school summer holidays are 50-over games involving depleted sides; just four home matches.

The Cricketer first learned of Sussex's difficulties last year, but now The Guardian has broken the news that they have been placed in special measures due to alleged financial mismanagement. The report adds that the club is in the process of signing up to a tailored business plan, which will include limits on spending, with any major outgoings such as player signings or registrations, requiring approval from the ECB.

As a lifelong Sussex fan, it is an extremely worrying development. We are not talking about an eye-watering sum – it is under £1m. That is after the club spent their £400,000 on reducing this debt.

The club have invested in youth and done terrifically well to establish themselves in Division One of the County Championship. The years when coach Ian Salisbury relied on youngsters seem a long way away. Players like Tom Haines, Jack Carson and James Coles understandably command a greater salary now, though. Ollie Robinson has lost his England central contract, and his services will not come cheap. I hope the club manages to keep hold of head coach Paul Farbarce, who must be a candidate for the England job in the future, I would have thought. He has done an outstanding job at Hove, achieving promotion in 2024.

Sussex have worked hard to make their business work. Businesses like Uber, WPA Health Insurance and Heineken have offices in the ground. There is a Sixes bar – although the company entered administration in December. The Tate Residences are apartments that bring in a steady income. But county cricket is not immune to factors such as the cost of living crisis and the price of energy.

Chief executive Peter Fitzboyden left the club after a two-year stint in the autumn, having overseen these results. His replacement has not yet been named. Fans will fear a heavy fine or points deduction ahead of the 2026 season. They will also be mindful that Durham were forcibly relegated in 2016 for their financial difficulties.

This news adds to the sense that the future for non-Hundred hosting counties is bleak. Hampshire were given a Hundred side and awarded a tier one women's team. They will host a Men's Ashes Test in 2027 at the Utilita Bowl, which has a capacity of 25,000 for its biggest matches. Sussex, meanwhile, have stayed at Hove, one of the most charming cricket grounds in the world, but it only hosts 6,000. In the modern world of cricket, big is beautiful.

The message to the ECB is a clear one – Save Our Sussex.

[Durhamfootman]

I suppose the good news for Sussex is that the ECB seem to have moved away from the excessively punitive stance they took with Durham. Yorkshire got away with sacking a few bad eggs after the racism scandal and the points deductions the ECB chose to mete out were simply added onto the end of an already disastrous playing season as a token slap on the wrist that made no material difference to the fortunes of the club. As far as I can remember, Middlesex got some financial restrictions thrown at them in their salary cap and an overseas player embargo, but they weren't relegated and/or handed crippling future points deductions for their financial mismanagement.

The ECB philosophy towards those two clubs seemed to be, in the context of the Durham punishment, that two wrongs don't make a right

Of course, Sussex are not one of the historical big 5, nor are they Hundred counties, so they may find that the ECB are not quite as cuddly as Yorks and Middlesex found. It'll be interesting to see what happens. Like Durham, Sussex are an upstart club, who simply had no business winning three county titles. They have invested in some very good players. Lets see if they are allowed the finances to keep them.

[Durhamfootman]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/ ... nt-cricket

[Durhamfootman]

Sussex should probably feel very grateful that it was Durham and not Hampshire that finished second bottom last year, or relegation might be on the table in these discussions

[sussexpob]

I suppose the good news for Sussex is that the ECB seem to have moved away from the excessively punitive stance they took with Durham

The two situations could not be more different. Durham were breaking rules in spending in a way that was not sustainable, Sussex had a successful model that worked for many years but the ECB then destroyed their revenue streams and now decide they get to control the money that was promised to replace it. I dont think it takes a genius to work out that these debts suddenly appear after the hundred comes (instantly so), and get worse as the calendar shifted to give it mid-summer primacy. So you take all the money away from us, don't give us the share of the pie promised, and now its our fault we cant balance the books?

In the Leonard Curtis financial report the ECB Commissioned recently, Sussex had the highest revenue from non test counties, the lowest percentage of revenue spent on club wages across all 18 counties, and the 3rd biggest level of positive net equity in the assets they control once debt is removed. Our net debt was listed as 0.4 million - Lancashire have nearly 70 million. Yorkshire have debt spiralling out of control. And this is where this gets frankly ridiculous.

At some stage a handful of counties ploughed money into bad infrastructure projects hoping to make extra international revenue, that model would have failed had it not been for the Hundred basically taking money from other counties and concentrating the wealth in those few teams. These risks essentially paid off through ECB mandate - and now we have a situation where the debts accrued from these measures are serviced by the money generated by these competitions, because the ECB considers it infrastructural for the benefit of the future of the game. Counties that did not make psychotic moves and have to find a way to fill the gap left by the other 8 counties being favoured and making more money, are told that debt covering is not for the benefit of the game, and are rejected more funding from the money that is, quite literally, owed to them as part of the agreement.

The irony of all this is Sussex will probably end up having to sell profit making assets to halt the loss making bleeding, which will compound the issue further- All because the ECB decided that is better than releasing 1% of the money they owe us. Lets be honest, the ECB and their Indian investors have no desire to keep teams like Sussex around. Punishing us and forcing us to offload all our talent when we have a minute debt, and other test venue counties are 10s of millions in debt, cant really be justified, especially when the ECB owe us multiple times this money.

If I were Sussex I would refuse to release my players to play in any ECB competition or Franchise cricket until the 25 million owed is in our bank account. Your pretty little tournament uses our assets, never forget that.

[sussexpob]

I guess you just look at Hampshire to see what I mean. If Sussex had made a huge white elephant project 15 years ago, we'd be quids in now. And much of this can't be claimed for the benefit of the game, can it? Just take Woman's cricket. Which two teams absolutely dominated the WCC form its creation in 1997? Kent and Sussex.... How the hell can the ECB give 2nd tier Woman's status to the two best sides in the game's history, and with years of success bringing players in the international team?

Hampshire meanwhile didn't give a toss about womans cricket .... Ok, well here is loads of money anyway. Tier 1 status for you because after all, success in grassroots cricket and producing players is directly linked to how tall your stands are at your ground.

It would be the equivalent of giving Man United's academy in football a lower status than Bournemouth.... it makes absolutely no sense.

[andy]

Sussex have shaken up their leadership for season coming, with Ollie Robinson taking over the red ball side, and Jack Carson leading the 50 over side...Mills will continue to lead the t20 side

[andy]

Essex have signed wiaan Mulder for the first 10 weeks of the new season he will be available for CC and blast....il take that good signing!